UV stable and can be applied to hot
and dry soils.
Reactivated by rain or irrigation to
provide long residual control.
Excellent residual control of problem
weeds such as wild radish, Indian hedge
mustard, sowthistle, prickly lettuce and
turnip weed.
Can be applied with simazine for
improved grass weed control.

n all growing regions there has been increasing interest
this year in pulses as part of sustainable farming systems.
Demand has been strong for many pulse crops and although
conditions were challenging in some regions there were
some remarkable production and price combinations,
adding to overall grower confidence in pulses.
There were three significant changes made to the Pulse Australia
field team in 2013 with Gordon Cumming appointed to lead
the field team as Senior industry development manager, Wayne
Hawthorne taking on the role of Special projects manager and
Mary Raynes being appointed as Industry development manager–
southern in September 2013. All members of the field team are
now partners in the new Broadleaf Cropping Alliance (see page
19) and applications have been sought for a fourth Industry
development manager to join the team and be based in NSW.
This position will be co-funded shared resource with NSW DPI.
The delivery of specialised Best management practice workshops
is a significant part of the industry development component
of Pulse Australia’s role. Significant advances have been seen
in the industry through the consistent application of the latest
agronomic information related to each crop type and variety.
Under the Better Break Crop project the field team developed the
‘Southern faba bean—Best management practices’ training course
and delivered six courses with a total of 81 attendees. In the western
region there was renewed interest in chickpea with 15 participants
attending a refresher course. In the northern region a total of 68
participants attended four mungbean courses and 66 participants
attended three chickpea courses. Both growers and agronomists
attend these courses, providing opportunities for participants to
contribute their practical experiences and local knowledge while

DISCLAIMER
This newsletter has been produced in good faith on the basis of information
available at the date of publication without any independent verification. Pulse
Australia and the Grains Research and Development Corporation do not guarantee
or warrant the accuracy, reliability, completeness or currency of the information in
this newsletter nor its usefulness in achieving any purpose.
Readers are responsible for assessing the relevance and accuracy of the content
of this publication. Pulse Australia and the Grains Research and Development
Corporation will not be liable for any loss, damage, cost or expense incurred or
arising by reason of any person using or relying on the information in this newsletter.
Products may be identified by proprietary or trade names to help readers
identify particular types of products but this is not, and is not intended to be, an
endorsement or recommendation of any product or manufacturer referred to. Other
products may perform as well or better than those specifically referred to.

1

FROM THE CEO
also having access to the latest
technical information available.
During 2013, Ms Caroline
Rhodes and Ms Angela
Greenhalgh resigned from
the Pulse Australia board, both having
served for 1.5 years. Their insights
and contributions to the board are
acknowledged and were appreciated.
Western Australian grower Mr Rod Birch
has since accepted an invitation to join the
Pulse Australia board. Mr Birch is also a
director of Australian Grain Technologies
(AGT), Australia’s largest wheat breeding
company, has a long association with the
Leibe Group, a large grower group interested
in on-farm investigations and is an executive
member of the Grain Industry Association
of Western Australia (GIWA) as the current
chair of the GIWA Pulse Council.
Ms Georgie Aley has also recently taken
up a position on the board. Amongst other
roles Ms Aley is managing director and
CEO of the Grains & Legumes Nutrition
Council (GLNC). GLNC is the independent
authority on the nutrition and health
benefits of grains and legumes across
Australia and New Zealand representing
the whole value chain from growers to
food manufacturers. Her appointment
to the board of directors will add further
strength to Pulse Australia’s commitment
to promoting the significant nutritional
and health benefits people can experience
when they include pulses in their diet.

International representation
In April 2013 I was honoured to be
elected to the The International Pulse
Trade and Industries Confederation
(CICILS-IPTIC) Executive Board, joining
Pulse Australia director, Sanjiv Dubey, to
represent the Australian pulse industry.
The CICILS Executive Board consists
of up to 30 members from all over the
world, elected from the membership.
CICILS-IPTIC is a global not for profit
confederation with its headquarters in
Dubai. It draws members from 17 national
associations (federations) and 680 private
sector businesses in an industry worth
over $100 billion at the retail level and
over 60 million tonnes in pulse production
and distribution in over 55 countries.
The organisation represents the
common good of all sectors of the global
pulse industry value chain from growers
and researchers, through input and
logistics suppliers, traders, exporters
and importers to government bodies,
multilateral bodies, processors, canners
and consumers. CICILS-IPTIC works

2

for transparency and sustainability in all
sectors and aspires to contribute in as
many ways possible to global food security
and improved health and nutrition.

Industry networking
Since 2006 the pulse industry in Australia
has benefitted from a coordinated, national
plant breeding program. Pulse Australia is
one of nine partner organisations in Pulse
Breeding Australia (PBA) and was very
pleased to be part of the inaugural PBA Pulse
Conference to showcase the innovation and
science behind the development of new
varieties with adaptation to the varying
climatic and agronomic conditions in
Australia and their journey through the
supply chain to the consumer. The current
suite of varieties available to growers, along
with the Variety management packages
(VMP), provide many opportunities
for the successful integration of pulses
into farming systems in each region.
Pulse Australia again co-hosted the 2013
Australian Grains Industry Conference in
Melbourne. The conference was the most
successful to date, attracting 970 delegates
from around Australia and overseas. In 2014
there will be two AGIC events, a new oneday conference in Singapore in March as well
as the 3-day event in Melbourne in July.
Pulse Australia was invited to become a
member of the Grains and Plant Products
Industry Consultative Committee, an
industry consultative committee to act as
the peak consultative group between DAFF
and the grain, seed, fodder, timber and nut
export industries. The Committee is the
primary consultation body for issues relating
to the export inspection and certification
of grain, seed, timber, fodder and nuts.
Pulse Australia is a founding member
of the Grains Industry Market Access
Forum (GIMAF). GIMAF was successful
in regaining access for Australian canola
into China. As a result of these successful
negotiations, GIMAF has developed a ‘China
Strategy’ to focus on attaining access for
other grains, including lupins (for human
consumption) and faba beans. Work has
also commenced on an ‘India Strategy’
for Australian grains, including pulses.

Pulse Australia to lead 2016
campaign
The General Assembly of the
United Nations, meeting in New
York, has voted to declare 2016 as
the ‘International Year of Pulses’.
There is considerable support for the
International Year of Pulses bid amongst
partner organisations with an interest

in all aspects of pulse production,
marketing, processing and consumption.
A range of research, engagement and
communication activities will be initiated to
promote the full value of pulses in achieving
healthy nourishment, food security and
sustainable agriculture for the world.
Partners from the food industry,
global companies, foundations, national
organisations, individuals and governments
are enthusiastic about being involved in
this project. The potential benefits to the
industry are enormous and we expect
many great innovations to result from
this type of exposure and investment.
Four themes have been proposed,
to feature market access and trade,
production and food security, health,
nutrition and food innovation and
environmental sustainability in the global
pulse industry. Industry initiatives will
be developed to make progress in each
of these areas during 2016 and beyond.
The opportunities to showcase,
promote and innovate are boundless.
From conferences and research projects
to apps and new convenient healthy
foods, all things are possible for the
International Year of Pulses.
The Australian industry, along with
all major producing and consuming
countries worldwide, supported the
proposal and welcome the decision of the
global peak body CICILS IPTIC to set
aside $1.1 million as a preliminary reserve
to fund activities related to the Year.
Pulse Australia will coordinate
a national committee to work with
government, farmers, NGOs, retailers,
food manufacturers, health and science
organisations and UN bodies to make
the Year a success in Australia and
contribute to raising the profile of
pulse crops and foods globally.
With rates of diabetes and obesity on the
rise around the world, the International
Year of Pulses presents an opportunity
to recognise pulses for their exceptional
potential to offer tasty and nutritional
meals to promote the well-being of people
everywhere. With the global population
expected to reach 9 billion by 2050,
pulses also represent a cost-effective and
carbon-friendly source of protein.
2016 will also be an important occasion
to learn about the world’s wonderful pulse
culinary traditions, and to discover new
ways to create great tasting and healthier
foods. Pulse Australia will initiate a steering
committee early in 2014 that will coordinate
major initiatives and events for 2016.

NORTHERN CROP SUPPORT

Meeting 2013’s
challenges
Frost damage was one of many challenges
growers faced in 2013.

by Gordon Cumming,
Pulse Australia

I

n what is becoming
an all too common
occurrence in the
northern grain belt, the
2013 season saw growers facing a difficult
start to both their winter and summer
cropping programs. Seeding opportunities
where limited for many so growers needed a
strong focus on making the correct decisions
about both paddock and crop choice to
minimise their risks and maximise their
opportunities. In-crop decisions also needed
to be made in a very timely manner as there
was often no second chances, particularly
with weed and insect management.
The winter cropping season started
with a dry and late break. As a result crops
were established on varying soil moisture
profiles across the region, ranging from
a full profile on long fallow paddocks,
through to some crops being planted
on little more than the opening rain.

Faba bean area down
The area planted to faba bean (18 000
ha) in the northern region was significantly
lower than initially expected due to the
late winter break being outside the faba
bean planting window, which typically
closes by the end of April. Grower uptake
of the new variety PBA Warda, which
was released for the 2013 season, was
strong in recognition of its superior yield
potential and grain quality in the north.
Although smaller in area the crop was
sown into good soil moisture profiles and
had mostly set their yields (average 2.25 t/
ha) prior to the arrival of the spring heat.
This highlighted the value of sowing faba
beans early, especially in seasons where the
spring is short and we get early heat with
daily maximums in excess of 28°C, at which
point the faba bean plant shuts down.
A significant problem this year was high
levels of heliothis damage being apparent
upon delivery of grain to the receival point,

which in some instances was high enough to
result in loads being downgraded to No2.
This was not the result of high heliothis
pressure during the growing season,
but rather from a sustained low level of
infestation. After talking to several advisors,
it became apparent that while the grub
counts were below threshold, these low
numbers were present for a sustained period
of time, often representing multiple egg lays
and it was the additive effect over time that
resulted in the high levels of grain damage.
Solid prices and good gross margins
for the 2013 harvest will see growers
once again looking to increase their
area of faba beans, provided we have a
suitable planting opportunity soon.

Chickpea still profitable
The eastern half of northern NSW
and southern Queensland started well
for chickpeas, with most growers being
able to follow their rotational plans and
having some paddocks coming out of
fallow that had good levels of stored soil
moisture. The western region was not so
lucky with most paddocks having only
a limited moisture profile. In the north
western part of NSW around Walgett, very
little winter crop was actually planted,
in fact an estimate 85 thousand ha of
planned chickpea was not planted.
Throughout what was a very dry season,
with little or no in-crop rain after the
second week of July, it was remarkable
just how well the chickpeas appeared to
be doing. Although the plants had low
biomass they were flowering and podding
well, once again demonstrating the ability
of chickpeas to handle dry seasons.
Then the frosts of early August hit. Many
crops had an estimated yield of up to 0.75
t/ha already on them and in the worst case
situations this was all lost to the frosts. Those
crops that still had reasonable soil moisture
levels were able to continue flowering and
to set new pods with final yields of 1.0 t/ha
being commonly reported. Those crops in
the western areas that had exhausted their
moisture were finished, with many being

sprayed out in the hope
of an early summer crop
planting opportunity.
Central Queensland
was the stand out region
again for chickpea
production, being fortunate enough to
start out with better planting conditions
and full soil profiles. They also escaped
most of the frost damage, except for a
small area along the Comet River.
In the final wash up an estimated 510
thousand tonnes of desi chickpea was
harvested off 400 thousand ha in the
northern grain region. Even though the
market price was down on the previous few
years and trade continued to be slow (see
article on page 33), chickpea has remained
a profitable crop for most growers when
compared to wheat, which has also suffered
from low prices over the same period.

Too dry for mungbeans
The continued dry conditions at the
start of the 2013–14 summer season has
resulted in a much reduced area being sown
to mungbeans, compared to past years.
The mungbean price has remained
firm from last year and even increased
slightly, which has led many growers
to consider growing mungbeans using
supplementary irrigation. This involves
one irrigation to established the crop
and a second in-crop irrigation prior
to the commencement of flowering.
Using this approach growers can achieve
yields typical of dryland production in an
average year on a larger area than a fully
irrigated crop, with minimal irrigation
water consumption. Mungbeans’ high
water use efficiency, combined with
current high prices, has helped to ensure
high crop returns for these growers.
What 2014 brings us is very much in the
hands of Hughie or the gods. With such a
dry summer following the dry winter season,
significant rains will be needed before we can
turn a wheel, so here’s hoping for a wet end
to the summer and a better winter in 2014.

he 2013 season
was one of
contrasts across the region with valuable
insights gained into managing variable
growing conditions. Starting with a
dry summer and late sowing, winter
was wet, then a dry spring, some frosts
and a quick finish in some areas.
Successful establishment remains a
critical success factor for pulses. Sowing
into a profile of stored soil moisture and
maintaining soil moisture with limited
in-crop rainfall is key. Stubble retention
in 2013 proved very important over
summer, particularly when spring rain
was below average, and had the added
benefit of aiding summer weed control.
In drier years the combined value of
weed control and reduced evaporation is
measured in more stored soil moisture.
Timing of sowing involves weighing
several considerations. Generally, early
sowing promotes yield potential, but if

4

early sowing in marginal
conditions means poor
establishment then a
decrease in yield potential
is likely. Shallow sowing
depth and the potential
for herbicide damage can
result from dry sowing
into tight soils. Heavy cereal stubbles can
also cause establishment problems.
Wet conditions in winter and early spring
placed many pulse crops under foliar disease
pressure in 2013 with some neighbouring
pulse stubbles presenting a high disease
risk from the previous season. This was
generally well managed and disease risk
diminished in some areas over time with
dry spring conditions and short rain events.
The extended wet spring in South Australia
maintained higher pressure in this part of
the region. With in-crop rainfall determining
the level of disease pressure experienced
there is no room for complacency.
Correct application timing and choosing
the correct fungicide to control the full
range of likely diseases is central to a
disease management program in pulses.

Disease presence in the lower crop canopy
puts immense pressure on subsequent
growth, even when protected with later
fungicide applications. This was seen in
some bean crops that were very bulky
and lodged, making it difficult to achieve
sufficient penetration into dense canopies
during applications late in the season.
Achieving adequate leaf coverage with a
foliar spray at or close to canopy closure
usually helps to avoid later, uncontrolled
infection in the lower canopy. Spraying
ahead of a rain front is more effective
than afterwards, and this was highlighted
in 2013 bean crops late in the season.
Seed quality is expected to be very good
this year however it is still important to
test for germination and vigour every
year. Poor seed quality is a common
culprit in cases of poor establishment.
Yield potential aside, sowing too early
increases the potential disease risk and the
need for effective disease management. It can
also influence variety choice and the cropâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
susceptibility to frost. Unfortunately, the
dynamics of disease development changes
with every season. In 2011 bean crops,

SOUTHERN CROP SUPPORT
rust was the biggest issue but in 2012 and
2013 it was chocolate spot and we cannot
underestimate the impact of botrytis on
flowers and pod set. Black spot in field peas
was severe in 2013 because of the lack of
summer–autumn rain and early sowing.
Bacterial blight after late frost was the
biggest issue in field pea in 2012. Infected
stubble and seed transmission are potential
disease sources to be aware of in 2014.

Pulse choices
It is often unwise to change from one
pulse to another based solely on last year’s
price or performance (good or bad). Each
year a different pulse crop type seems to be
favoured over the others in either yield or
price or both. We can not predict what 2014
will bring for individual pulses, but we can
play the odds by assessing the production
and marketing risks associated with each
pulse species. Matching the pulse species
to the correct soil type and conditions, and
managing the crop accordingly generally
achieves the most consistent result.

Southern chickpeas take a
check
Following two years of respectable yields
and exceptional prices for chickpea, we
are now seeing a marketing issue with
large global supplies and low prices (see
article on page 33). The area of chickpea
in southern Australia may fall in 2014
after several years of hard-earned gain.
When choosing a chickpea variety it
is essential to consider its resistance to
ascochyta blight along with yield, price
potential, marketing, delivery, maturity,
lodging resistance and other agronomic
features relevant to your growing region.
Choose a desi or a kabuli type that
suits your marketing plans, the region
and farming system. Larger-seeded
kabuli chickpeas like GenesisKalkee
are later maturing than Genesis090.
A price premiums for kabuli over desi
is necessary to compensate for lower
yields and higher seed costs. Gross
margins, marketability and personal
choice can often be deciding factors.
Chickpeas do not fit into rotations and
farming systems as easily as other pulses,
and are far less competitive against weeds.
Terbyne® and Balance® offer effective
control of most broadleaf weeds, but postemergent options are limited and can
affect crop yield potential. Croptopping is
not possible with most chickpea varieties
and, if attempted, will affect yield and
quality, even with the earlier flowering
desi varieties like PBA StrikerA, AmbarA,
NeelamA and the kabuki varieties like
PBA MonarchA and Genesis™ 079.

Faba beans on the rise
The area of faba bean in southern
Australia is set to rise again on the back of
acceptable yields and exceptional prices in
the last three seasons and ongoing strong
market interest. Foliar disease management
is now better understood and, while
management was tested in 2014, disease
was largely well held. Recent experience
has confirmed the need for early protective
fungicide applications and being aware of
the potential impact of botrytis on flowers
and pod set if early control is inadequate.
Bulky canopies and lodging in some
crops reduced the effectiveness of
disease control, light penetration and
the number of pollinators reaching the
flowers. All these factors combined
to reduce pod set in these crops.
On acidic soils faba beans require
inoculation and attention to the
nutritional needs of both the rhizobia
(e.g. molybdenum) and the crop to ensure
adequate nodulation and growth.
Growers and agronomists will benefit from
the faba and broad bean training courses
being run this season at selected locations
in the southern region (see page 38).

Lupins are back
After several years of low prices and
demand, the lupin has declined in favour of
other options with better returns. This last
year lupin yields and prices have however
been good with more international and
domestic demand. The Australian end-users
looking for lupins will need to provide
growers with confidence in their market
if the area sown to lupins is to increase.
Albus lupin markets have improved
since record production in 2010 swamped
the limited export market into the Middle
East. Fortunately stocks are now somewhat
depleted and feed millers are now using
albus lupins in their mixes, but at feed prices.

Lentils tight
Lentil prices have rallied since their
relative low a season ago and yields have
been very respectable. A significant
downside has been the prevalence of
header fires in lentils this year in both
South Australia and Victoria. Adoption
of the herbicide tolerant (XT) varieties
has been high across the region. It is
important not to produce only these small
seeded types as oversupply could become
an issue and there is market demand for
the medium and large seeded types.
Ascochyta is a changing ‘beast’ in lentils,
so it is important to be aware of the revised
disease resistance status of varieties and
adjusting disease management in response.

Canada and Australia are continuing to
producing very high quantities of lentils,
mainly because the new lentil varieties
and farming systems mean that lentils can
be grown as a profitable pulse option at
current prices in areas suited to the crop.
Growers and agronomists will benefit
from the lentil training courses being
run this season at selected locations in
the southern region (see page 38).

Field peas hang in there
Field peas performed quite well despite
the dry season except where frost or black
spot impacted on yield. There is now a
choice of several varieties that are shortseason yet offering high yield potential. It
has now also become clear that in areas
regularly prone to bacterial blight, it is
important to have the better resistance
of PBA PercyA. Variety choice, stubble
management, crop sowing dates and seed
hygiene are vital components of a disease
minimisation strategy. Use the ‘Black spot
manager’ to determine the optimum sowing
dates in your area to minimise the risk
of this disease limiting yield potential.

Meeting receival standards
This last harvest has seen minimal
weathering and quality issues, but frost and
wrinkling have had some impact. Meeting
pulse receival standards at harvest can
sometimes be a challenge and each year
seems to present a different problem with
one or more pulse varieties. A dry finish,
a wet or delayed harvest, frost, ineffective
disease control, even variety contaminants
can all cause delivery issues. Cracked
grain and insect damage seem to occur
every year, particularly in faba beans.
Croptopping is widely practiced in
pulses to prevent weed seed set but with the
timing based on the ryegrass stage rather
than the crop, there is always potential for
this to affect pulse grain quality. Growing
earlier maturing varieties helps to enable
effective croptopping while avoiding a grain
quality penalty. However, this does not
necessarily overcome issues arising from
plants that mature later in wheel tracks
or in late patches in the paddock, variety
contaminants or harvest rain. Assess each
individual situation at croptopping stage and
then again before commencing harvest.

Variety choices increased
Pulse variety options have further
increased with new releases available for
sowing in 2014 (see page 16 for descriptions
of new pulse varieties). Remember that
newer is not always better as some varieties
that have been around for several years are
still the best performers in some situations.

5

WESTERN CROP SUPPORT

Roller coaster ride
in WA ends well
by Alan Meldrum,
Pulse Australia

T

he 2013 cropping
year would have
to be described as
one of the strangest
seasons encountered
in Western Australia. Every region
experienced unusual seasonal conditions
yet most finished with a good crop result.
Extensive summer rain generated
the need for extensive summer weed
spraying in the central wheatbelt and
Esperance regions. Elsewhere, summer
rain was patchy at best, or non-existent.
As winter approached, this meant that
some growers were fortunate enough to have
some deep moisture stored while others had
very dry soil profiles. The northern wheatbelt
was particularly dry, indicating that reaching
above average yield potential was unlikely.
When the season broke, however, it gave
rise to some of the best sowing conditions
in memory with rainfall above average
along with warm temperatures. The only
region to miss the good start was the eastern
wheatbelt, with areas north and east of
Merredin and east of Dalwallinu missing out
on any substantial rain throughout May.
Suddenly, regions suffering from a
lack of summer rain had enough rain
to support crop establishment. The
Esperance region had a full soil moisture
profile from late March and sowing of
canola commenced in early April.
Sowing was completed before the end
of May in most districts. The promising
early start provided excellent crop
establishment and early weed control—
the season was looking very good.
Then it stopped raining. June was
the driest month in history with many
centres recorded barely any rain at all
for upwards of six weeks. It was mid-July
before rain returned and by this time
yield potential had fallen dramatically.
The Esperance and south coast
regions were the exception, where
remarkable early crop growth continued

6

on the back of average rainfall and
high levels of soil moisture.
Mid-winter rain revived many stricken
crops although many growers remained
concerned that the season’s potential was
almost lost. More rain through late winter
and spring returned crops to good health
and by mid-September hopes of crops
achieving their yield potential were restored.
For the very dry eastern districts, this
late winter and spring rainfall yielded
a harvestable crop when most growers
had decided the header wasn’t coming
out of the shed in 2013. Mild to warm
temperatures prevailed through to harvest
and no losses to frost were reported.
For lupins and pulses, the returns were
good in most regions. The Esperance region
is the base for the western field pea crop and
strong early growth promised good yields.
Blackspot caused substantial reductions
in affected crops, particularly where
waterlogging had caused some ill thrift.
Clean field peas yielded 2.5 t/ha or more,
but diseased crops yielded 1 t/ha or less.
Lupin crops responded to the season
by podding very well and delivering
some very good yields. In the northern
region, some lupin crops out-grossed
wheat and canola—something that has not
been experienced in quite a few years.
East of the Midlands Road the low plant
height of many crops caused problems with
harvesting efficiency but, in the main, lupin
yields were very high. Yields of 2.5 to 3.5 t/
ha were recorded in the northern regions
all the way down to districts like Katanning,
even where lupins are not particularly
well adapted to the shallower soil types.
All in all, 2013 was a very good cropping
year for Western Australia with close to
16 million tonnes, one of the best ever
delivered grain results. This is an amazing
result, particularly after almost writing
the season off as below average in July.

Lessons for 2014
Seasonal conditions will always be a
major factor influencing yields, but they
can’t be controlled or predicted. What can
be controlled though is the establishment

of disease and weed free lupin and pulse
crops, sown at the optimum density and
with good vigour. If these things are in place
growers can then take advantage of good
growing conditions, should they occur.
The 2013 season showed how
fundamental good crop establishment
and weed control is to achieving high
yields. Without them, yields will be
disappointing even in optimal seasons.
Weed control, particularly in lupins, again
caused concern amongst growers. Spraying
very stressed weeds in mid to late June
proved ineffective however croptopping
later in the season achieved a substantial
reduction in weed survivors, and crops
compensated with some increase in yield.
Harvest weed seed management strategies
such as collecting chaff (using chaff carts or
narrow windrowing) and burning windrows
in autumn are now widespread and will
help reduce the number of viable weed
seeds entering the soil seedbank each year.
Lupins and pulses are not responsible
for blowouts in weed populations. Rather,
herbicide resistance in weeds and the
timing and rates of herbicides applied in
all crops is the cause of additional weed
pressure. Integrated weed management
strategies enable growers to manage
herbicide resistance while producing a
profitable yield. Lupins and pulses enable
alternative strategies to be employed to
reduce the quantity of weed seeds lying
in wait for the next crop to emerge.
Rather than abandoning lupins and
pulses, consider implementing strategies
to reduce the weed burden in the paddock
to a level where crop competition and
herbicides can control weeds. Chemical
fallow, hay production using cereals and
judicious use of crops such as Roundup
Ready canola, are ways of bringing the
weed burden down to manageable levels
before sowing a lupin or pulse crop.
Read the article on page 22 for more
thoughts on managing herbicide resistant
weeds and visit www.weedsmart.org.au
In the short term some of these strategies
will cost money, but the long term benefit
to the rotation is worth the investment.

GROWER PROFILE

On-farm storage must
be clean and safe
by Cindy Benjamin

W

ayne and Peter Anderson take a
serious approach to grain storage.
For about 125 years the Anderson
family has been farming on ‘Arcadia’
near Kingsthorpe, between Oakey and
Toowoomba. They run a flexible opportunity
cropping rotation of cereal, pulse and
fodder crops throughout the year and over
the last 15 years have built up a contract
grain storage business on the farm.
“We have used on-farm storage for our
own grain for many years,” said Peter.
“Our location and experience have helped
build the storage side of our business.
At the moment we have 55 grain silos
on the farm with a combined storage
capacity of over four thousand tonnes,
allowing segregation of grain varieties
and grades, including planting seed.”
Most of the cereal and pulse grain
stored on ‘Arcadia’ has been bought by
local grain traders and seed companies
and is stored on both long and short
term contracts. “We provide a full grain
storage service to companies and growers
including pre-cleaning, drying, fumigation
and transport of the grain,” he said.
“Over the years there have been significant
changes in technology that have made
storing grains safer,” he said. “We have
stayed up to date with the technology
and can be confident the grain we have
in storage will maintain its quality.”
Mr Anderson said the essential
elements for successful storage of grain,
and particularly pulses, are aeration and

fumigation. “Whatever silos you choose
must be set up to allow proper aeration
and must be gas-tight so they can be
fumigated to eradicate insects if they begin
to develop,” he said. “Existing silos can be
fitted with aeration control units and most
can also be modified so they are gas-tight.”
“Having on-farm storage gives us
additional flexibility with our harvesting,”
he said. “If a front is predicted and the
crop is almost ready but maybe above the
optimal moisture level, we will harvest
with confidence knowing we can aerate
the grain to maintain quality until we can
dry the grain down at a later date. This
way we can avoid any harvest delays or
crop deterioration due to wet weather.”
Using mungbeans as an example
Mr Anderson explains the process of
maximising grain quality. To start with he
stresses the importance of putting in place
operations that will give a good sample
at harvest. “Do what you can to grow an
even crop and desiccate to reduce the
amount of green pods at harvest,” he said.
“If there is an amount of admixture in the
sample we recommend pre-cleaning.”
After the grain is in the silo aeration is
essential to maintain the correct temperature
in the stack. Any remaining admixture tends
to move to the walls of the silo, creating
hot, wet spots that can cause grain quality
to deteriorate. If this occurs Mr Anderson
recommends turning the grain by emptying
the silo and then putting the grain back in.
“Humidity controlled aeration systems
are the best,” he said. “When we harvest
mungbeans we often run the aeration

Kingsthorpe farmer and grain storage contractor,
Peter Anderson, is trialling grain fumigation
using a thermosyphon to safely deliver gasified
phostoxin into the top of sealed silos.

constantly for about a week to remove
the paddock heat and any greenness
in any admixture in the grain. Then
we switch the controller to automatic
so it can monitor the humidity and
operate only when the air is dry.”
The Andersons are trialling a
thermosyphon to fumigate grain in their
silos. The thermosyphon uses solar energy
to gasify the phostoxin placed in a container
at the bottom of the silo. The gas is safely
delivered into the top of the sealed silo and
rapidly disperses through the grain stack.

Economics of grain storage
Working out if grain storage would be
beneficial for your business is not just about
whether it will allow you to make more
money. National coordinator of GRDC’s
Stored Grain program, Chris Warrick,
said in most situations there needs to
be more than one benefit to the grower
to make the investment worthwhile.
“For most growers grain storage needs
to help solve more than one problem,”
said Mr Warrick. “The most common
reasons growers invest in on-farm storage
are to market their own grain, taking
advantage of after-harvest price peaks,
to have more timely harvest and transport
operations and to segregate grain that
meets specific premium standards.”
Spreading the fixed costs across summer
and winter grain crops also increases
the chance of economic success.
‘Economics of on-farm grain storage,
cost benefit analysis’ and a computer
spreadsheet ‘Grain storage cost benefit
analysis template’ are both available
at www.storedgrain.com.au

7

GROWER PROFILE

Chickpeas are
an option in WA
Brothers John (right) and Peter Nichols have found that the new varieties now available in WA
have seen chickpeas out-perform wheat, barley, canola and lupins in gross margins since their
return to the farm’s rotation.

by Cindy Benjamin

T

he benefits of pulses in rotation with
wheat are well known however the
economics of growing a pulse crop have
not stacked up in many areas across
Western Australia in recent years.
John Nichols is one farmer who has
chosen to keep pulses in his crop rotation
and this year is shaping up to be a good
one, especially for chickpea. Farming 5400
ha in the Doodlakine district John, his
brother Peter and their mother Lalla run
an integrated mixed operation with 1400
ewes, a 100-sow piggery and cropping.
“Our 100-year average rainfall here is
316 mm and we have suffered significantly
lower yields in recent years due to very
dry conditions,” said John. “This year is
looking better and the chickpea crop we
have planted has germinated well.”
The Nichols brothers grew up to 180 ha
of chickpea in the 1990s until the fungal
disease, ascochyta blight, wiped out the
susceptible varieties available at the time.
When the ascochyta-resistant variety,
Genesis 836, became available a few years
ago they were pleased to add chickpea
back into their rotation. “After losing

8

chickpea as an option we increased our
area of canola but now chickpea is our best
gross margin crop,” said John. “Genesis
has performed well with good yields but
the smaller seed type is less suited to the
Sub-continental market. This year we
have planted PBA Striker, which is a large
seeded variety with good market appeal.”
John says chickpeas have out-performed
wheat, barley, canola and lupins in gross
margins since their return to the rotation.
He said most of their other grain is sold off
the header but they store the chickpea grain
on farm after letting their marketer know
the area sown. “We hold the grain until the
price peaks in the lead up to the Muslim
religious festival of Ramadan, which falls in
July this year,” said John. “Premium Grain
Handlers market our chickpea for us and
helps us determine the best time to sell.”
“After three years of wheat we use canola
or chickpea to reduce the grass weed
population,” he said. “Chickpea have the
added benefit of providing a nitrogen boost
to the soil for the following wheat crop.”
John said the climatic variability they
are experiencing in the district makes it
difficult to fit lupins into the rotation and
so he expects their area of lupins to remain

static, with most being
consumed on-farm, while the
area of chickpea will most
likely rise to around 100 ha.
The Nichols can store about
700 tonnes of grain on farm and they use
this capacity to store seed for the following
year, including wheat variety options so
they have a choice of long, medium or short
season varieties to plant on different soil
types, and the remaining storage capacity
is used to store lupins used in rations for
the pigs and to finish the prime lambs.
John and Peter also have a contract with a
local seed merchant to bulk-up new varieties
of field pea. John said their heavy soil is
well suited to field peas and they work hard
to keep their paddocks weed-free so they
can supply clean seed to other growers.
Pulse Australia industry development
manager (west), Alan Meldrum, says
interest in growing chickpea is picking
up again and Western Australian growers
are well placed to take advantage of
the significant agronomic knowledge
and experience that already exists.
Alan said the current varieties and
agronomic knowledge are conducive
to reliable production of desi chickpea
and should lead to an increased area
in future years. The new varieties, PBA
Striker and Neelam, are being bulked
up by growers and will dominate the
WA crop in the years to come.
“Chickpea production peaked in
the late 1990s in WA with the almost
70 000 ha planted yielding an average
of one tonne per ha,” he said. “Disease
problems saw production drop to very
low levels through the 2000s but there
is renewed interest and new diseaseresistant varieties available to growers.”
At a chickpea production workshop in
March 17 participants discussed the latest
research and variety information. The two
new varieties, PBA Striker and Neelam,
both offer growers valuable characteristics.
Alan said PBA Striker replaces PBA Slasher
and offers good early vigour, improved
yield, moderate disease resistance and
large seed size. “Neelam was released last
year and is a taller, erect variety with high
yields and disease resistance,” he said.
John said the chickpea production
course highlighted some new developments
and marketing options. “People in this
district are starting to take an interest
in chickpeas again,” he said. “We have
significant experience to draw on.”
John is an active member of the
Kellerberrin Demonstration Group and is
currently hosting a chickpea variety trial
in collaboration with Pulse Australia.

GROWER PROFILE

Lentils
pay off
by Cindy Benjamin

M

ark Schilling couldn’t have been
happier with his lentil crop in 2013.
Pulses are a permanent part of the crop
rotation on the Shilling’s Yorke Peninsula
property, Copper Gone Farms, for their
nitrogen fixing and weed control roles in
the farming system and as a cash crop. Mr
Schilling said the grain price for broadleaf
crops such as lentils, chickpeas and canola
is the main consideration when deciding
which crops to grow in rotation with wheat.
“The chickpea price is pretty ordinary
at the moment but the price for lentils is
very good,” he said. “We have proven the
agronomic value of legumes over and over
on our farm so we don’t even consider
leaving them out of the rotation.”
“In 2013 we have only grown seed crops
of chickpeas having opted for lentils as our
main pulse crop,” he said. “We decided to
plant more lentils than canola this season
and this has turned out to be a good
decision given the exceptional season
we have had and the high grain price.”
In January-February Mr Schilling
looks carefully at the pulse grain market
indicators and decides on the area of each
crop and variety to sow for winter.
Three lentil varieties were planted on
Copper Gone Farms this season—the
herbicide resistant small red lentils, PBA
Hurricane XT and PBA Herald XT, and the
larger seeded variety PBA Blitz. Reaping is
now complete on Copper Gone Farms with
lentil yields averaging 2.5 t/ha making a very
strong contribution to the farm’s profitability.
Mary Raynes, Pulse Australia industry
development manager for the southern
region, said the harvest is around 70 per
cent complete on the Yorke Peninsula
and lentil crops are generally yielding
from under 1 t/ha to 2.2 t/ha.
“A significant concern is the number
of header fires this year, particularly in
lentils,” she said. “We are urging growers
to take care to clean down the headers
to remove dust that can build up and
increase the risk of machinery fire.”

Yorke Peninsula grain grower, Mark Schilling of Copper Gone Farms has made the most of good
growing conditions and been rewarded with excellent lentil yields across the three varieties grown
on the farm.

While grain price is important, Mr
Schilling is also looking for other ways to
improve the gross margin of all crops on
the farm, including ways to reduce input
costs. “We direct drill and apply chicken
manure as a fertiliser and soil conditioner
to all our crops,” he said. “Being close
to poultry farms here we can sell them
straw and but back chicken litter.”
Mr Schilling is also an advocate of onfarm storage of pulses. “We have a grain
storage business on the farm offering other
growers the advantages of machine dressing
their grain to earn premium payments for
a value-added product,” he said. “I think
pulse growers, including ourselves, can
benefit from getting closer to the end user
and adding value to our products. An
important part of this is maintaining product
segregation and integrity in storage.”
“Although we have been in the business of
providing contract storage services for over
15 years, we have these facilities primarily
to store our own grain,” he said. “I would
encourage all pulse growers to invest in
on farm storage to increase their harvest
flexibility, segregate their grain products
and take control of their marketing.”

Pulse breeding program
Mark Schilling is a strong supporter of the
pulse breeding program and assists with the
development and commercialisation of new
pulse varieties suited to the Yorke Peninsula.
“We work closely with the breeding
program to field test and bulk up new
varieties,” he said. “Pulse Breeding
Australia has produced several excellent
new varieties in recent years offering
herbicide resistance traits, good yields
and better disease tolerance.”
“The plant breeding program is an
essential component of the industry and as
growers we need to get behind the breeders
and support their efforts by describing
varieties correctly on delivery and paying
the end point royalties that help fund the
development of new varieties,” he said.
Remember that it is an offence to make a
false declaration, including falsely identifying
varieties, at the delivery point or on the
annual ‘production declaration notice’.
The seed of PBR protected varieties
cannot be sold, traded, bartered or
given away as seed for sowing.
For more information visit www.grdc.
com.au/GRDC-FS-EndPointRoyalty

9

NATIONAL PULSE INDUSTRY NEWS

Southern pulse industry development
manager has practical focus
T

he pulse industry in Australia is expanding, with new
varieties and new opportunities across the supply chain.
Newly-appointed Pulse Australia industry development manager
Mary Raynes has extensive broadacre grains experience and is
enthusiastic about being back in the field, working with growers,
consultants and Pulse Australia member organisations.
Covering the GRDC southern growing region from Dubbo in
NSW, through Victoria to Ceduna in South Australia, Ms Raynes
will be joining the Pulse Australia field team to deliver industry
intelligence, information and training across the supply chain.
The size and diversity of the southern growing region demands
the skills of highly qualified and experienced development
personnel. Senior development manager, Gordon Cumming, said
attracting high quality managers such as Ms Raynes was a key
component of Pulse Australia’s strategy to increase the area
sown to pulses and to build confidence across the industry.
“Ms Raynes comes to Pulse Australia bringing a wealth of
experience with pulses and other crops,” he said. “She has
practical, on-farm experience of the role pulses can play
in crop rotations and boosting whole farm profitability.
Her business acumen and broader experience in grains
research and marketing will provide additional
strength to the Pulse Australia field team.”
Ms Raynes maintains a hands-on
connection with her family’s grain and sheep
operation at Donald, in Victoria’s Wimmera

district. She left the area to study agriculture and has since
worked in marketing, plant breeding and research.
“The Australian grains industry is a really exciting industry
to work in,” said Ms Raynes. “This role provides a conduit
for information flow throughout the supply chain and
providing an independent perspective on industry issues.”
Ms Raynes will soon become a familiar face at industry
field days and training events as well as offering a strategic
business approach to Pulse Australia member businesses.
Her contact details are: mobile 0408 591 193
and email mary@pulseaus.com.au

Mary Raynes, is based in Horsham and
works with pulse growers, traders and
processors in the southern growing
region.

Grain Quality and Market Requirements Forums
This year the Australian Export
Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) is
expanding their Grain Quality and
Market Requirements Forum program
to encompass other commodities,
including pulses, in addition to wheat.
AEGIC supports the trade and
use of Australian grains around the
world through cutting-edge grain
quality and processing technology
and market research innovation.

10

Five one-day forums are planned for
the northern and southern regions:
17 March
Goondiwindi
19 March
Narrabri
21 March
Wagga Wagga
8 April
Horsham
10 April
Adelaide
One key objective of the forums is
to outline the factors that impact on
grain quality and the impacts of grain
quality throughout the supply chain.
The second objective is to update

participants on the latest grain quality
and management systems innovations
and the future focus of grain qualityrelated research and development.
Pulse Australia industry development
managers will present information about
managing grain quality for the major pulse
crops grown in each forum location.
To register go to www.aegic.org.au/
services/training/register-interest-for2014-grain-quality-forums.aspx
T: 08 9368 3785
E: admin@aegic.org.au

NATIONAL PULSE INDUSTRY NEWS

PBA CONFERENCE 2013
Pulse Australia, one of the nine Pulse
Breeding Australia (PBA) partners, was
a proud participant at the inaugural PBA
Pulse Conference ‘Expanding Horizons’ in
Adelaide. The conference attracted over
150 delegates to the field day and almost
200 to the main conference sessions.
Pulse Australia’s CEO, Tim Edgecombe
(pictured with Pulse Australia board member
and Western Australian grain grower, Mr
Rod Birch) said the conference provided
an excellent opportunity for people across
the industry to gain insights into how plant
breeders respond to the production and
marketing needs of the pulse supply chain.
Hakan Bahceci, president of the
international pulse industry organisation,
CICILS, and CEO of Haken Agro Group,

Tony Leon’s forte
in peas is over
by Wayne Hawthorne, Pulse Australia
In June 2013, Tony Leonforte, leader of the
PBA Field Pea Program, embarked on a new
role with Cargill’s canola breeding program.
His dedication to the field pea breeding
program is deeply appreciated and will be
missed. Under Tony’s leadership the national
field pea program produced eight new
varieties—PBA Gunyah, PBA Twilight, PBA
Oura, PBA Percy, PBA Pearl and Australia’s
first ever forage field pea, PBA Hayman,
and the newest releases PBA Coogee and
PBA Wharton—offering growers an excellent
suite of varieties and types across a range
of environments and target markets.
Tony, from the pulse industry we thank
you and bid you a fond farewell.
Hay-man, you are a Bonzer bloke,
fair Dinkum and you are close to
a Santi claus when it comes to
delivering new field pea varieties.
Just like Kaspa the friendly ghost, Tony
you are quietly spoken. Certainly you’re no
Bruce Maki-vaney with commentary, but
that’s a good thing. You have never had a
Bluey with anyone. Most would consider
you to be part of Mait-land with us.
With the sugar-pod trait we thought you
would not shatter. With your tendrils and
semi-leave less habit who would have

the largest privately-owned pulse trading
company in the world, opened the marketing
segment of the conference. As chair of
the CICILS International Year of Pulses
and promotion standing committee Mr
Bahceci took the opportunity to outline
CICILS’ plans for the International Year
of Pulses and encouraged the Australian
pulse industry to be involved.
As one of the key note speakers,
Pulse Australia chairman Peter Wilson
drew from his long association with
the industry to outline the benefits that
had come from the establishment of a
focussed pulse breeding organisation.
“Since the establishment of Pulse
Breeding Australia in 2006 and
implementation of better agronomic
practice there has been a steady increase
in the export value of the Australian
pulse industry from $304 million in 2006
to over $1054 million in 2012,” said Mr
Wilson. “The development of the national
and international industry structure
has seen positive outcomes for market

access, contract execution, quality
standards and supply chain support for
pulse food and fodder products.”
“PBA’s focussed national breeding
program and their commercialisation strategy
have been critical to achieve this, hand in
hand with the integrated agronomy and
supply chain focus of Pulse Australia.”
Since 2006 the pulse industry has
expanded from 1.4 million ha to 1.66 million
ha annually and doubled annual production
from one million tonnes to two million tonnes.
Pulse Australia senior industry
development manager Gordon Cumming
said this was the result of superior varieties,
improved production management
knowledge and skills and strong global
demand for Australian pulses.
“Pulses are recognised for their value
to the crop rotation and as a profitable
option for Australian growers,” he said.
Western Australian grain grower, Rod
Birch, attended the conference having
recently taking up a position on the
Pulse Australia board. With over thirty
years experience in pulse and grain
production, breeding and extension he is
well placed to provide valuable input and
direction to Pulse Australia, particularly
with insights into key issues facing the
Western Australian pulse industry.
The next PBA conference is being
planned for 2016 and is most likely to be
held in the northern growing region.

thought you would be saying goodbye?
industry. You have left us in the Soupa
Like Captain Charles Sturt rowing down the
like green and yellow peas with no Cooke.
river to Morgan, you are a real pioneer that
Glen- Roy, Laura, Helena and all of us will
faced the strong current when rowing back
miss you. Any chance of a Coog eeee
upstream to Yarrum (a backwards Murray).
like echo call to get you to come back?
Your proud history has however been well
Thanks again Tony and best wishes. You
documented in your Alma-nac that We’reare a Pearl in history of the pulse industry in
eager to read. As a pea breeder you Excell.
Australia. Your time is now unfortunately Dun.
Little did we know that Tony was in the
You have waved the Pennant since 1996,
Twilight of his pea breeding career with
having Done -dale as well as Done wah.
field peas when we heard his departure
May we raise our glasses, toast you with a
news. For a guy that has Percy veered
Bundy and coke and say a fond Ooo rah.
with Gunyah grit, we wish you well.
Thanks and good luck! (Text contains 37
His career Snowy balled when Tony
pea varieties, of which Tony bred at least 11).
stepped from the
Moonlight into the
spotlight with the release
of Kaspa, affectionately
called the ‘kick ass pea’.
Recently seven PBA
releases have been made,
with more to come yet
after Tony has gone.
Other pea breeders
thought they were King,
but ultimately they were
all attracted to your
program like a Magnet
that passed Parafields
into Victoria for a Paravic
national approach.
Tony Leonforte (right) ‘in action’
at a variety release field day.
Your departure from
pea breeding is a real
Wart on the pulse

11

NATIONAL PULSE INDUSTRY NEWS

Australian Grains Industry Conference (AGIC) in Australia and Singapore
The Australian Grains Industry
Conference (AGIC) has established
itself as the must attend event for senior
executives, traders and others interested
in the Australian grains industry.
In 2014 AGIC is launching
a new initiative with a oneday event in Singapore.
AGIC is the premier industry hosted
conference for grain industry market
participants and service providers.
The event is hosted by Grain Trade
Australia, the Australian Oilseeds
Federation and Pulse Australia.

2014 world pulses Convention
Cape Town, South Africa
May 4th to 7th 2014
Don’t miss the Global
12 Pulse Trade’s biggest ever networking event with around 1000
delegates from 50+ countries – representing every major player in the

NATIONAL PULSE INDUSTRY NEWS

Pulse Agronomy
Projects

G

ood agronomy practice is paying off
for the pulse industry through the
concerted efforts of growers, researchers,
agronomists and plant breeders. This is
seen in the consistently good crops grown
even in dry or marginal conditions.
Coordinated regional pulse and broadleaf
agronomy programs are now in place in the
three grain growing regions across Australia.
The Southern Pulse Agronomy Project,
led by Dr Jason Brand, senior research
agronomist–pulses, Victorian Department
of Environment and Primary Industries,
is the longest-running program and has
a strong track-record of investigating and
demonstrating various agronomic practices.
In 2013 the team has continued
collecting and analysing data from the
lentil stubble research (see page 26) and
brown manuring of pulses. Work on
testing for herbicide tolerance in lentils has
expanded and the focus has altered to study
the response of the transformed genetic
code to Group B herbicide applications.

A large project has started to evaluate
the feed quality and biomass production
of available forage pea varieties.
Dr Brand said that their work will fill
a knowledge gap and provide growers
with detailed information about biomass
production curves for different varieties.
They are also looking at different scenarios
to determine the best conditions and
management for both vetch and forage peas.
The sowing windows are quite different for
these two species so there will be seasons
that favour one species or the other.
Early indications are that vetch will be
the better option if there is an early break
in the season or if weed control is a desired
outcome. If the season break comes later
then peas are a better choice as they will stay
productive through winter and into spring.
Another new area of research involves
measuring time of sowing responses in
pulses. Early results are suggesting that
early sowing provides overall benefits even
if the breaking rains do not come until the
end of May. Dr Brand said they are seeing
10–20% higher yields in crops that were
dry sown early. He highlighted the need to
take care that dry sown pulses are correctly
inoculated unless it is know that there is
adequate ‘background’ rhizobia in the soil.

The southern agronomy team is also
responding to the incidences of ascochyta
in chickpeas in 2013, with some resistant
varieties suffering from the disease. This
project is also developing improved disease
management strategies for lentils.
Dr Brand is pleased to see pulses
contributing strongly to farm income and
profitability in recent years. His economic
analysis of the effect of seed size distribution
in kabuli chickpeas has shown that the
premium price paid for large seeded kabuli
varieties outweighs the lower yield potential.
PBA MonarchA crops grown in 2012
and 2013 had lower yields but were
more profitable than desi chickpeas.
In 2012 the difference in economic
terms was $400–500/ha and in 2013
the difference was $200–300/ha.
The Southern Pulse Agronomy project
incorporates 45 trials across 17 sites.
Similar dedicated agronomy programs
are now also in place in the northern region
and in Western Australia. In the early days of
the programs there is little to report though
expectations are high for the coming years.
MORE INFORMATION: Dr Jason Brand,
Senior research agronomist–pulses, Victorian
Department of Environment & Primary Industries
E: jason.brand@dpi.vic.gov.au
T: 03 53622341 M: 0409 357076

Balance® 750 WG Herbicide
now an option for problem
weed control in fallow
Article supplied by Bayer Group
Chickpea growers are well aware of
the excellent residual weed control
provided by Balance® 750 WG Herbicide
during the growing season.
However, recent changes to the
Balance® 750 WG Herbicide label now
gives growers and advisers another
weapon in the fight against hard-to-kill
weeds in fallow situations. The Balance
label has been extended to include preemergent control of fleabane (Conyza
bonariensis), sowthistle (Sonchus
oleraceus) and feathertop Rhodes grass
(Chloris virgata) in fallow. A suppression
claim for barnyard grass (Echinochloa
colona) in fallow has also been added.
This label change is particularly
relevant for those growers who are
looking for alternate herbicide groups to
rotate in their fallow spray program.
It should be taken into account that few,
if any, residual herbicides give consistent
complete control. However they are
important tools that need to be considered
to reduce the weed population exposed to
knockdown herbicides as well as to alternate

Fleabane control: Balance plus Simazine on the left versus untreated on the right.

the herbicide chemistry being employed.
Balance is currently the only Group H
herbicide registered for fallow spraying.
Unlike many other residual herbicides,
Balance is only weakly affected by sunlight
and is slow to degrade if moisture is not
present. This means, Balance doesn’t require
immediate incorporation by rainfall and
will still work when you need it the most.
Best results are obtained where
a complete and even application of
Balance is applied to weed-free soil
prior to weed germination and sufficient
rainfall occurs after application and prior
to weed emergence to allow herbicide
uptake by germinating weeds.

It’s important to note that Balance will
not control emerged weeds when applied
alone. Emerged weeds must be controlled
by application of a knockdown herbicide.
Also, when considering Balance for
fallow weed control ensure that minimum
re-cropping intervals are taken into
account with respect to future cropping
options. To obtain the best results when
using Balance in fallow situations it is
recommended that you seek the advice of
a Bayer CropScience representative and
always read the label for full instructions.
Balance® is a Registered Trademark of the
Bayer Group.

13

TECHNICAL NOTES

Bees boost
faba bean returns
Research has proven that bee and hive management in faba bean crops is practical and profitable, achieving average yield increases of 17 per cent.

by Wayne Hawthorne, Pulse Australia

E

veryone knows that honeybees
play a role in pollination of field
crops but until now there has been no
conclusive scientific evidence of the
impact bees have on crop yield.
Pulse Australia is encouraging faba bean
growers in all regions to seriously consider
engaging a commercial apiarist to supply
hives for placement in the current crop. An
opportunity to achieve substantial yield
increases such as this is rare and well worth
investigating. A crop that might normally
yield 2 t/ha could be expected to yield
an extra 0.33 t/ha, worth an extra $130/
ha, for an additional cost of just $35/ha.
Growers need to act well before
flowering begins in August to gain
the greatest potential benefit.
It now appears that bee and hive
management is a practical and
affordable option for pollination in
faba beans. Research published recently
in the scientific journal ‘Field Crops
Research’ has demonstrated a large
yield response to honeybees placed
strategically in faba bean crops.

14

Researcher Danny Le Feuvre says
the seven-year field study in South
Australia has shown beyond doubt
that there is an economic benefit
to using commercial honeybees to
increase pollination and crop yield.
“We measured an average 17 per cent
yield response where the greatest benefit
was in low yielding crops,” he says. “We
believe that the higher yield gains in lower
yielding crops is at least partly due to a
lack of natural pollinators in the areas
where these trials were conducted.”
CSIRO researcher Saul Cunningham
and Mr Le Feuvre conducted the research,
which was partly GRDC-funded, that
collected yield data direct from the header
off commercial fields of faba bean. They
found that 90 per cent of the yield benefit
consistently occurred within 750 m of hives.
An economic analysis has shown
that placing hives in groups through
the crop is profitable for both the
farmer and the apiarist. “The study has
proven that a hive density of 1 hive/ha
is practical and profitable,” he says.
“Grouping 30 hives together every 300 m,
or larger groups further apart, will achieve

a yield response. It is important to consider
the placement of the hives in relation to
other crops such as canola because the
bees will preferentially graze in canola.”
Bees placed in faba bean crops will
produce harvestable honey and so apiarists
are able to charge growers around $35 per
hive and harvest honey as well. This makes
it possible for field crop growers to compete
for bee hives with almond growers.
Mr Le Feuvre says that the yield response
can be expected in all faba bean growing
localities and will be most noticeable in
areas far from wooded areas, which host
a higher population of pollinators.
“It is important for growers to introduce
the bee hives early in the season, preferably
at the onset of flowering,” he says. “It is
common to see large pods very low on
the faba bean plants when bees are active.
Increased seed set through bee activity is
well accepted in horticultural crops and
now we know it also occurs in field crops.
These additional and larger pods are a
major contributor to the increased yield.”
MORE INFORMATION:
YouTube: http://youtu.be/3gfPK1bfGT4

TECHNICAL NOTES

‘Significant yield benefits
from honeybee pollination
of faba bean (Vicia faba)
assessed at field scale’
by Saul A. Cunningham (CSIRO) &
Danny Le Feuvre (Australian Bee Services)
Our experiments indicate that provision of
honeybee hives to V. faba fields consistently
leads to higher and less variable yield
in parts of the field near the hives. The
yield benefit diminishes with increasing
distance and is well described by an
exponential decay, with the yield benefit
down to 10% of its maximum after 767
m. The maximum (at hives) was 17%
greater yield than at the asymptote. We
calculated the “pollination profit” (i.e. yield
benefit-hive cost) for different scenarios
of crop value and hive price, and found
that provision of hives is a profitable
practice for a realistic range of values.
By using field scale experiments under
normal farming conditions, and spatially
comprehensive yield map data, this
study provides a very solid foundation for
understanding pollination benefits in V.
faba. Our methods for estimating benefit
were conservative because our baseline
for comparison was open pollination rather
than exclusion of all pollinators. Further, by
applying treatments at field scale we only
describe benefits that are large enough to
be detected over and above the natural
level of variation in yield expected due to
a multitude of environmental factors.
We only examined a limited range
of pollination practices in terms of hive
management, placement and densities. It is
therefore expected that further experience
could reduce costs and possibly increase
the area of the field that receives a high
level pollination benefit. The potential for

similar pollination benefits to be exploited
by V. faba growers elsewhere deserves
further study. Our study indicates that
the crop and pollinator biology allow for
significant benefits in this environment.
Outcomes in other locations could
vary according to the level of pollination
provided by wild insects, and the effect of
local conditions on both honeybees and the
crop. We believe that benefits of the kind
documented here may well be replicated
in other field crops, but this potential
remains unappreciated because of a lack
of appropriate experiments. Many legumes
in addition to V. faba
are thought to benefit
from insect pollination
(Klein et al.,2007) as
does cotton (Rhodes,
2002). Brassica
napus receives a
yield benefit from
insect pollination that
is of a similar relative
value (Bommarco
et al., 2012) and
is very attractive
to honeybees.
Nevertheless
these crops are
commonly grown
without any attention
to pollination
management.
We predict that
economically
favourable yield
benefits could
be achieved for a
number of these
crops by pollination
management that
includes support
of free pollination
by cautious
insecticide use

and habitat protection, and provision
of managed honeybees to ensure
best pollination outcomes when
free pollination is insufficient.
Full paper published in Field Crops Research
149 (2013) 269–275.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work was funded by an Australian
Government ‘AusIndustry’ grant to Mr Le
Feuvre, and some additional funding from
the Grains Research and Development
Corporation (GRDC). Mr Cunningham was
supported by CSIRO’s Sustainable Agriculture
Flagship.

Committed to the Australian pulse industry,
Heritage Seeds presents NEW to our range in 2014
NEW

• Improved plant height and
outstanding yield with good
grain quality similar to
Genesis836. (Southern)

Desi Chickpeas

Desi Chickpeas

Desi Chickpea

• Excellent grain colour and
grain size. (Northern)

Heritage Seeds is also excited to announce a new sales model for its field crop business has
commenced with the introduction of Heritage Broadacre Agents. Heritage Seeds will continue
to market the above varieties together with our new dedicated HBA’s nationwide. There is sure
to be one close to you. For more information on either our varieties or HBA’s, visit our website
heritageseeds.com.au or Freecall: 1800 007 333
Steve Amery: HBA Manager 0409 000 398
Todd Jones: Tech Support 0428 255 753
Lisa Rowe: EPR Administrator 1800 112 400
Pulse Ad _ 2013.indd 1

pring is a very busy time for the Pulse
Australia field team. Our industry
development managers (IDMs) are highly
sought-after as guest speakers at grower
meetings and field days, particularly as the
new varieties are released from the Pulse
Breeding Australia (PBA) and National
Mungbean Improvement programs. In 2013
eight new pulse varieties were released—two
chickpea varieties, three field pea varieties,
one new lentil, one lupin and one mungbean
variety—across all three growing regions.
In the north, senior IDM, Gordon
Cumming, coordinated and presented at 12
mungbean grower meetings in Queensland
and NSW as part of the release of JadeAU, the latest mungbean variety release.
Mary Raynes, IDM–southern, attended
field days across Victoria and South
Australia where growers were impressed
with the opportunities the new small red
lentil variety, PBA Hurricane XTA, offers.
In the west, IDM Alan Meldrum
arranged variety trials to show lupin
growers the value of the latest variety
from the PBA program, PBA BarlockA.
Pulse Australia publishes variety
management packages (VMP) for each new
variety that provide specific agronomic
information for growers to assist with
variety selection and crop management.

16

PBA MaidenA: a largeseeded, early to mid
flowering desi chickpea
▶▶ Suitable for the medium to low rainfall
environments of southern Australia. It is
broadly adapted to these regions and has
shown similar yields to PBA SlasherA.
▶▶ Moderately resistant (MR) to
foliar infection by ascochyta blight
(equal to PBA StrikerA). It has a
semi-spreading plant type and
height similar to PBA SlasherA.
▶▶ Seed size is greater than current
southern desi varieties (28% larger than
PBA SlasherA) with a yellow-tan seed
coat. Larger uniform seed size is more
likely in medium rainfall regions.
▶▶ Well suited to whole seed desi markets
such as those in Bangladesh.

▶▶ It is adapted to the traditional kabuli
chickpea growing regions of Australia
and has shown a consistent yield
advantage of 5–13% over current medium
and large seeded kabuli varieties.
▶▶ It has shown similar yields but larger seed
size than the small sized Genesis™ 090.

PBA CoogeeA: a ‘duntype’ field pea with
powdery mildew resistance
and tolerance of soil
boron and salinity
▶▶ Tested as OZP1103, this variety is a
conventional (trailing) type dun pea that
provides the flexibility of a forage option
if frost or drought limit grain yield.
▶▶ Has a conventional plant type similar
to the variety Parafield but with
increased early season growth, more
basal branching and longer vines.
▶▶ Is a long season variety that flowers
mid to late season but pods rapidly
and combines resistance to powdery
mildew with high tolerance to soil
boron and salinity. This variety has
moderate resistance to bacterial blight.
▶▶ Produces grain that can be marketed
as ‘Australian dun type’, suitable for
stockfeed or human consumption.

TECHNICAL NOTES

PBA HaymanA: a foragetype field pea for hay,
silage and green manure
▶▶ Tested as OZP0902, this variety is a
forage field pea that can be used for
hay, silage or for green manuring as an
alternative to vetch or MorganA field pea.
▶▶ A tall, vigorous, conventional field pea,
producing smaller tare-style leaflets
and a high number of basal branches.
▶▶ It is late flowering and grows vigorously
over spring given favourable conditions
producing large amounts of dry matter.
It has long vines (over 2 m under good
conditions), which can remain semi-erect.
▶▶ Resistant to powdery mildew and
produces small pods and small white
seeds, reducing the cost of sowing.
▶▶ The grain is soft seeded, ensuring that
there are no hard seeds carried over
to germinate in following crops.
▶▶ Grain yield can vary but is generally
between 30–80% of a normal field pea
crop and is suitable for stockfeed.

PBA WhartonA: a
‘kaspa-type’ field pea
with virus and powdery
mildew resistance
▶▶ Tested as OZP0805, this variety is a
superior yielding kaspa-type field pea.
▶▶ It combines disease resistance to powdery
mildew and the viruses PSbMV and BLRV
with higher soil boron toxicity tolerance.
▶▶ Widely adapted across southern cropping
regions of Australia and best suited
to districts with a short to medium
growing season or those that are prone
to powdery mildew and virus diseases

(e.g. south east SA). It is the first kaspa
type variety suitable for production in
northern regions of New South Wales.
▶▶ It is early to mid season flowering
and early maturing (similar PBA
GunyahA). It has a semi-leafless
erect growth habit, pink flowers and
shatter resistant pods like KaspaA.
▶▶ Grain colour and size is similar to KaspaA
but more spherical and smoother.
▶▶ Can be marketed as ‘kaspa type’ grain.

PBA Hurricane XTA: a
high yielding, herbicide
tolerant small red lentil
▶▶ This variety builds on the success of
the first herbicide tolerant lentil, PBA
Herald XTA. It incorporates the same
improved tolerance to some Group B
herbicides, but with higher grain yields
and improved agronomic characteristics.
▶▶ PBA Hurricane XTA and PBA
Herald XTA are in the process
of APVMA permit renewal and
registration for imazethapyr use.
▶▶ Has resistance to ascochyta blight and
higher yields than NipperA and Nugget.
▶▶ Is lower yielding than PBA AceA and
PBA BoltA, but may be preferred
where more flexible weed control is
desired or for marketing reasons.

PBA BarlockA: an
Australian sweet lupin with
anthracnose resistance and
tolerance of metribuzin
▶▶ A high yielding variety suitable
as a replacement for TanjilA and
WongaA in most lupin growing
areas of Western Australia.

▶▶ Provides a very significant yield
improvement in most regions of New
South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
▶▶ A considerable improvement in
metribuzin tolerance over the varieties
TanjilA and WongaA and will allow
growers to use metribuzin as an option for
controlling weeds within the lupin crop.

Jade AUA: a large-seeded,
shiny green mungbean
offering high yield and
improved resistance
to powdery mildew
▶▶ A large seeded bright green mungbean
that is broadly adapted to the northern
region. It is suitable for both ‘spring
planting’ (Sept/early Oct) and
‘conventional summer planting’ (Dec/Jan).
▶▶ It has a demonstrated consistent yield
increase of 12% when compared
to CrystalA across all regions of
central and southern Queensland
and northern New South Wales.
▶▶ Grain quality is equivalent to CrystalA and
is highly acceptable in the market place.
▶▶ Has the best available combined suite of
resistance to powdery mildew (greater
than CrystalA), tan spot and halo blight
(ratings are equivalent to CrystalA).
▶▶ Is of an equivalent plant type and
has similar production agronomy to
CrystalA and other current varieties.
MORE INFORMATION:
Click on the variety name to open the Variety
Management Package (VMP) or search the
Pulse Breeding Australia website.

Paul Villis grows mungbeans in rotation with
sugarcane near Ayr in North Queensland and
has been part of the seed increase program for
Jade-AUA.

17

Unlock the
potential in your soil,
seeds and crops.
Growers’ most pressing challenges today centre on improving yield while managing resources: doing more with
less. Through its new Functional Crop Care business, BASF is broadening what it means to produce better crops.
One way we are doing this is by harnessing innovations in chemistry with high performing seed solutions.

Nodulaid® NT

Nodulator® Clay Granules

For superior nodulation and yield performance.

For better flow and better performance.

The only dual benefit inoculant on the market that will
take yields higher.

he essential role of broadleaf crops (and
pastures) in broadacre farming systems
is well documented and both growers and
advisors acknowledge the significant benefits.
Despite this, the adoption of broadleaf crops
is below optimal levels for overall farm
system profitability and sustainability.
The two major factors perceived to
be limiting the area sown to broadleaf
crops are input costs relative to potential
dollar returns (price risk) and reliability
(production risk). The development and
release of new varieties and their management
packages has gone a long way to improve
the reliability of broadleaf crops. To fully
realise the economic benefits, growers must
also fully understand and meet market
demand and quality requirements.
Pulse Australia chairman, Peter Wilson,
said that pulse and oilseed crops provide
similar benefits to cropping rotations
and could be promoted together for
their important contribution to farming
systems and farm profitability.
Pulse Australia, Australian Oilseeds
Federation and the GRDC have recently
signed-off on a new 3-year industry
development project to provide growers
and advisors with the knowledge and
confidence required for them to lift the

proportion of broadleaf crops grown
in Australian farming systems.
“An industry wide approach to industry
development has worked well for pulses
and we now have an opportunity to
collaborate with the oilseed industry to
cross-promote all broadleaf crops,” he said.
“Each broadleaf crop commodity is relatively
small compared to the major cereals but
collectively they represent a significant
part of Australia’s grain production.”
Industry development managers
currently involved in the various broadleaf
crop commodity supply chains are wellplaced to share their knowledge and the
relationships they have with agribusiness
for the benefit of the whole industry.
“Being in a position to discuss all broadleaf
crop options with growers means better
information is available to support growers
in their decision making,” Mr Wilson said.
Australian Oilseed Federation executive
director, Nick Goddard echoed the comments
of Mr Wilson, saying there is no doubt that
synergies exist within the broadleaf crop
industry. “The opportunity to work closely
with researchers investigating the agronomy
of specific crops and topics common to all
broadleaf crops is exciting,” said Mr Goddard.
He also commended the development
of an on-line knowledge bank for

growers, saying it would make available
a wealth of industry knowledge aimed at
assisting with finding solutions to a range
of potential agronomic challenges
“The success of our last collaboration with
Pulse Australia has prompted a continuation
and expansion of the working relationship
between our organisations,” said Mr Goddard.
The 3-year ‘Australian Broadleaf Cropping
Project’ will support the specialist team
to provide targeted and highly relevant
support services and materials to growers,
advisors and agronomists. They will work
closely with R&D providers (including
GRDC funded projects) and state
departments. The project will run to 31
August 2016 and has four major outputs:
▶▶ A total of nine Best Management Practice
Training Manuals will be produced and/
or revised over the life of the project.
▶▶ A purpose built e-library consisting of
easily accessible resources for growers,
advisors and researchers, on the sustainable
and profitable production of broadleaf
crops will be developed and maintained.
▶▶ A dedicated broadleaf crop specialist
team will maintain a high public
profile will be established.
▶▶ Relationships with key research providers
will be established, providing effective and
informed two-way flow of information.

stablishing economic
thresholds for
an insect pest in a
particular crop has
been a valuable outcome of entomology
research over the last few decades, assisting
growers and agronomists with the decisions
surrounding economic pest control.
Traditionally, economic thresholds were
stated as a fixed pest density per m2 that is
known to cause economically-significant
crop damageâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;for a specific set of crop
value and control costs. Typically these
specifics have been lost in time, and there
is some uncertainty around how well
these fixed thresholds represent current
costs of control and crop values. Dynamic
economic thresholds, which are the focus
of DAFF Queensland research, account
for variables such as row spacing, costs
of control and crop value. However, until
recently agronomists and growers had to
input their variables into a formula, or refer
to ready reckoner tables that provide an
economic threshold for a range of variables.
The most recent advancement in the
application of economic thresholds has
been made in Queensland where the
DAFF entomology team has built an
online economic threshold calculator for
helicoverpa in chickpeas that takes away the
need to remember formula or do complex
calculations in the field. The calculator is
built on sound entomology data and has

been thoroughly tested in the field. It can
be used to estimate the potential yield loss
and subsequently the economic threshold,
taking into account all the relevant variables
and information available about the crop.
For instance, research by the team had
shown that if one helicoverpa larvae (per
square metre) completes its lifecycle on the
chickpea crop, the resultant loss is 2 grams
of grain. This relationship is the outcome of
an interaction between crop damage caused
by the larva and the compensatory response
of the crop. The calculator uses this yield
loss estimate to predict the grain yield loss
based on the number of helicoverpa present.
The calculator uses beatsheet sampling
data and adjusts the predicted yield loss
that will be caused by the population
by taking into account likely larval
mortality (30 per cent mortality of small
larvae) and stage of crop growth.
The cost of control (product plus
application costs) is entered into the
calculator, along with the expected value
of the crop. The calculator will even offer
suggestions about whether control is
warranted (an economic proposition)
based on the current crop stage and
susceptibility to damage. For instance
spraying pesticide while the crop is
vegetative is not warranted, regardless
of the pest density, because helicoverpa
only do economic damage to chickpea
pods. An exception to this rule may be if
a significant number of small to medium
larvae were present late in flowering,
where control may be warranted to avoid
Helicoverpa are the main insect pest
affecting chickpea and require control
leading up to and during podding.

20

having to attempt control of medium and
large larvae during pod set and pod fill.
From the information entered by the
agronomist or grower, the calculator
determines the potential loss (cost) of
taking no action. Having an idea of what it
would cost in lost production if no action
was taken makes it possible to determine
whether the cost of control is greater or
less than the potential loss of yield.
Generally growers are looking for a
better outcome from a control operation
than just break even, so the calculator
offers the option of increasing the cost
benefit ratio from 1 (break even) to say 1.5,
effectively raising the economic threshold.
The chickpea/helicoverpa calculator has
so far only been evaluated for the northern
growing region, north of Walgett, NSW and
throughout Queensland. Nationally there is
variation in the thresholds recommended
for helicoverpa in chickpeas in Queensland,
NSW, Victoria and Western Australia.
The thresholds are similar, principally
because they are all relatively low, reflecting
the generally low costs of control.
The northern online calculator is very
likely to work well in other chickpea growing
areas although it would be prudent to
evaluate or test the recommendations against
past experience or use the calculator to make
decisions in one paddock while managing
all other paddocks using the thresholds
generally used in your area. If the outcome
is very similar then the calculator could
be used with confidence in the future. An
important point that must be stressed is
that the calculator will only work correctly
if the sampling is done with a beatsheet, not
a sweep net. The sweep net and beatsheet
have not yet been calibrated in chickpeas to
enable the conversion of one to the other.
Rather than being used for each control
decision, the calculator is probably
most useful for re-calibrating rules of
thumb that growers and agronomists
use when there are changes in the costs
of control or chickpea grain price.
The threshold calculators on the Beatsheet
website are written in HTML5 with the
capability to be used off-line if necessary, and
will work on the newer operating systems on
computers, mobile smart phones and tablets.

TECHNICAL NOTES

Using the calculator
Steps in determining if control is warranted:
1. Sample the crop and record the
number of small (S), medium (M) and
large (L) larvae in each sample (e.g.
5 beatsheet samples of metre row).
2. Average the number of each size of
larvae and enter into the relevant box.
3. Enter the crop’s row spacing
and click the calculate button
for mean larval density.
4. Add your estimate of the cost of
control (including application) and
expected crop value to calculate
potential yield loss and breakeven
economic threshold. If you have a
preferred cost benefit, enter it to get
a revised economic threshold.
5. You can then request a ‘suggestion
for action’ based on crop stage
and selected threshold.
MORE INFORMATION: Dr Melina Miles,
Principal entomologist & Team leader,
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry,
Toowoomba E: melina.miles@daff.qld.gov.au
T: 07 4688 1369
Beatsheet website http://thebeatsheet.com.au/
sampling-2/
The economic calculators are calibrated to sampling using a beatsheet.

Other calculators on Beatsheet

L

andmark senior agronomist for southern Queensland, Paul
McIntosh was involved in the ground-truthing of the DAFF
economic threshold calculators and highly recommends their
use. He says they are an invaluable tool for decision making,
particularly in cases that are not clear-cut. “They are based
on solid research and have been fully ground-truthed,” he
says. “We know they work well and they can give an extra
level of confidence to agronomists and growers who might
not have a lot of experience with a particular crop yet.”
Mr McIntosh is particularly enthusiastic about the release of the
latest calculator for use in mungbeans. “There are several important
insect pests that attack mungbeans and working out the relative
levels of damage and when to take action can be tricky,” he said. “The
mungbean threshold calculator is brilliant because it factors in all the
pests in the same matrix and gives a combined recommendation.”
Hugh Brier is DAFF’s senior entomologist specialising in pulse crops.
He is the developer of the mungbean threshold calculator, which is
now available in the same online format as the chickpea calculator.
“The decisions surrounding insect control in mungbeans
are different to those for chickpea in that the penalty for not
controlling insects far exceeds the cost of control,” he said.
“This means that the main purpose of the calculator is to assess
the damage potential of all species in the crop and make
recommendations regarding the timing of control measures.”
The mungbean threshold calculator uses sampling data
from the field to calculate adult equivalents and estimate
the damage potential against days to harvest.
Similar calculators are available on the Beatsheet
website for use in soybean and sorghum crops.

Lupins
better in
a longer
rotation
Herbicide resistant ryegrass and radish continues to trouble Western Australian grain growers.
Lupins provide an opportunity to croptop and destroy residual seed.

by Peter Newman,
AHRI

T

he short rotation of
wheat-lupin is one of
the rotations that puts a
lot of pressure on herbicides. Weed control
in these two crops is limited to a relatively
small number of herbicides and the repeated
use of these chemicals in quick succession
brought about the development of herbicide
resistant wild radish and annual ryegrass.
The situation with wild radish was
particularly bad because this weed has
developed multiple resistance to the available
herbicides so resistant populations were
able to take hold of vast areas of cropping
land making lupin production impossible.
Wild radish is now widely resistant to
Group F (e.g. diflufenican) and Group B
(e.g. metsulfuron-methyl) herbicides and
annual ryegrass is widely resistant to Group
A (e.g. clethodim) herbicides. Annual
ryegrass is becoming increasingly resistant
to the Group D herbicide, trifluralin.
The value of lupins in the crop rotation has
not been doubted although many growers
have discontinued lupin production due in
part to the weed pressure. It has taken some
dedicated growers ten years of consistent
effort to reduce weed seed banks and gain a
winning hand over wild radish. They have
been rewarded with clean paddocks and

22

successful lupin crops that are contributing
to the soil health and farm profitability.
The key to their success has been
reduced reliance on herbicides and
the implementation of other practices
such as longer rotations, croptopping
and harvest weed seed control.
Rather than the once common wheatlupin rotation growers are planting
lupins less often and incorporating
another broadleaf crop such as canola. A
successful rotation might now be lupinwheat-wheat-canola-wheat-wheat.
The next step is to adopt a ‘nosurvivors’ policy for weed control. This
means not accepting escape of any weed
in any crop in any year. The beauty
of lupins is that they offer additional
weed seed management options.
Current herbicides, applied at the correct
rates, still play an important role but must
be applied when the weeds, particularly wild
radish, are small. Two spray applications on
small plants is most effective but herbicide
applied to large wild radish plants is wasted.
Croptopping can be used to successfully
stop seed set in both wild radish and annual
ryegrass growing in lupin crops. Timing
is critical but the results are excellent,
drastically reducing the addition of herbicide
resistant weed seed to the soil seed bank.
Harvest weed seed management is the
final, and probably the most important, step

to drive down the weed seed bank. Narrow
windrow burning is particularly successful
in lupins because the lupin trash generates
a hot fire that kills a very high percentage
of weed seeds, yet the burning operation
is much safer than in a large cereal crop.
If growers prefer to use chaff carts rather
than narrow windrow burning for harvest
weed seed control the lupin trash dumps
also provide good feed for sheep. Only a
very small amount (around 3 to 5 per cent)
of weed seed is still viable after passing
through a sheep’s digestive system. This is
not the case for cattle, where a much higher
percentage of weed seed remains viable.
Lupins are a very important part of
the grain production system in Western
Australia and offer growers some
significant weed control opportunities
that are not available with other crops.
Bringing herbicide resistant weeds back
under control has been a hard road for
many growers but the good news is
that growers can win and successfully
bring lupins back into their rotations.
MORE INFORMATION: Peter Newman,
Communications lead, Australian Herbicide
Resistance Initiative, Geraldton WA
E: petern@planfarm.com.au
T: 08 9964 1170
M: 0427 984 010
WeedSmart website: www.weedsmart.org.au

Maximising
herbicide efficacy
in lupins
▶▶ Where practical, delay sowing to maximise
weed kill from knockdown herbicides.
▶▶ Maximise the effectiveness of the
pre-emergent herbicide simazine
by incorporating in wet soil.
▶▶ Ensure an even crop so that all plants
are at the correct growth stage when
post-emergent herbicides are applied.
▶▶ Spray small weeds early
for an effective kill.
▶▶ Use the highest registered rate of postemergent chemical possible without
causing unacceptable crop damage.
▶▶ Use Mandelup if you intend to apply
metribuzin post-emergent.
▶▶ Croptop with Gramoxone®
or Reglone® if required.

Croptopping is the first stage of controlling
weed survivors. The correct timing for
croptopping is at 80 per cent leaf drop
for lupins. At this stage the lupin seed
is physiologically mature and the risk
to grain size and yield is very low.
Ryegrass is most susceptible to herbicide
during the flowering to soft-dough stage,
when you can squeeze dough from the seed.
Correct timing of herbicide application
can control 50–95 per cent of the ryegrass
and 15–80 per cent of the radish present.
Following this with after-harvest burning
of lupin residue in a narrow windrow will
provide a very high level of control.

Use paraquat to target ryegrass or
diquat if radish is the main target. Check
herbicide labels for application rates
and harvest withholding periods.
Croptopping after 80 per cent
leaf drop should not adversely affect
lupin yield or grain quality but grain
should not be retained for seed.
Check the maturity of the ryegrass
as this is the critical factor affecting the
effectiveness of this control program.
High water rates and maximum herbicides
rates are required for maximum benefit.
The second step is to harvest as early
as possible and collect and burn the lupin
residue in narrow windrows or remove

Harvest weed seed control strategies, like using
a chaff cart, can significantly reduce the amount
of weed seed being added to the seedbank.

clerotinia is becoming
increasingly common
in broadleaf crops in Western Australia. This
fungal disease has a wide host range that
includes canola, grain legumes such as lupins
and chickpeas, and a range of broadleaf
weeds. With several different broadleaf
crops commonly included in rotations there
is a significant risk that the disease can be
perpetuated from one season to the next.
Canola is very susceptible to
sclerotinia, so if favourable conditions
exist, as they did in 2013, the disease
can quickly build up in canola crops,
significantly reducing yield and leaving
behind sclerotia that provide inoculum
to infect subsequent broadleaf crops.
Canola pathologist, Ravjit Khangura, has
undertaken sclerotinia surveys in the canola

24

growing regions of WA during the past five
years. The surveys have revealed that, in
years favouring sclerotinia, the level of stem
infection in canola crops was above 60 per
cent in some paddocks, causing estimated
yield penalties of up to 30–40 per cent.
The 2013 canola season saw significant
yield impacts over a larger area than
previously encountered. In addition to the
cost of a yield reduction, the sclerotia (the
disease’s resting bodies) were also found as
contaminants in grain samples, adding to the
grower’s costs. Yield reduction is due mainly
to lodging and collapse of the plant’s stem.
Lupin crops grown in sclerotiniaaffected districts were also infected more
than in previous seasons however yields
do not appear to be affected to the same
degree as in canola. In lupins, sclerotinia
infection can affect the plant as stem or
branch lesions or by directly infecting
pods. In several instances lupin deliveries
have been rejected due to the presence of
sclerotia and have required cleaning.
Currently the area planted to canola
is significantly larger than the area
planted to pulse crops and so in diseasefavourable seasons the disease has
spread extensively and subsequent lupin
crops sown in affected paddocks can be
infected and perpetuate the disease.
Sclerotia are the hard fruiting structures
of fungus produced at the end of the disease
cycle. The sclerotia can remain dormant in
the soil for up to ten years, ready to respond

to favourable environmental conditions—the
same conditions that favour crop growth.
Mild wet conditions promote sclerotinia
infection, particularly seasons with frequent
late winter and spring rainfall that favours
denser crops. In suitable weather, sclerotia
germinate to produce tiny mushroomlike structures, called apothecia. These
apothecia release spores that can infect
host plants within a 400 metre radius.
There is no indication that current
varieties of lupins grown in Western
Australia have any meaningful differences
in resistance to the disease, so variety
selection is not expected to help reduce the
risk of infection. Sclerotinia has previously
been considered a minor disease for
lupins and so screening for this disease
has not been a key objective in lupin
breeding. To date, a management package
has not been developed specifically for
sclerotinia in lupins, although the same
general management and risk avoidance
concepts recommended for other
broadleaf crops should apply for lupins.
Growing non-host crops for several
years would be the only way to eradicate
the disease from a paddock but this is not
usually an economically or environmentally
sustainable option. Consequently, it is
necessary to implement management
strategies in the canola crop that will
reduce the impact of this disease on
future broadleaf crops. Canola paddocks
that have been heavily infected with

TECHNICAL NOTES
sclerotinia will pose the greatest risk for
infection of subsequent pulse crops.
In districts where the disease has
not been observed it is particularly
important to ensure that the canola,
lupin and chickpea seed planted is not
contaminated with sclerotia. Once a
pulse crop is infected with sclerotinia
there is no in-crop treatment available.
Retaining crop residues favours the
disease, however, the sclerotia are not killed
by burning crop residues or by cultivation.
Risk outlooks and the development of
risk reduction strategies is the focus of
ongoing research work, however careful
attention to paddock rotation and infection
history will help with managing risk.
MORE INFORMATION:
Geoff Thomas, Plant pathologist, Department of
Agriculture and Food Western Australia
E: geoff.j.thomas@agric.wa.gov.au
T: 08 9368 3262
Dr Ravjit Khangura, Plant pathologist,
Department of Agriculture and Food Western
Australia
E: ravjit.khangura@agric.wa.gov.au
T: 08 9368 3374

Managing
sclerotinia in
broadleaf crops
Sclerotinia usually occurs sporadically
in lupin crops and there are no specific
management packages for this disease in
lupins. Like other crops lupin varieties do
not have much resistance to sclerotinia.
No fungicides are currently registered
for the control of sclerotinia in lupins.
The only management measures
are to avoid spreading the disease
in contaminated seed and to give
consideration to sclerotinia risk when
selecting paddocks for sowing pulses.
However, preventative fungicide
treatment for the disease may be of value in
canola crops. Current treatment costs are
approximately $35–50/ha. Fungal sprays
are applied to canola at 20–50 per cent
flowering, depending on the product used.
Currently registered fungicides for
management of sclerotinia in canola

include Prosaro®, iprodione (e.g.
Rovral® Liquid) and procymidone
(e.g. Sumisclex®, Fortress®).
The recommended strategies in canola
that, apart from fungicide application,
will be applicable to pulse crops are:
▶▶ Use good quality seed that is
free of sclerotia to reduce the
spread of the disease.
▶▶ Avoid sowing canola next to or in
paddocks that were infected with
sclerotinia in the previous three years.
▶▶ Crop rotation, particularly with non-host
crops such as cereals, can help reduce
the severity of the disease in canola.
▶▶ If rotating with broadleaf crops check
for sclerotinia symptoms in the
preceding broadleaf crops and weeds
if considering sowing canola into the
same paddock the following year.
▶▶ Consider applying preventative strategic
sprays of foliar fungicides at early to
mid flowering. Fungicides should only
be considered for very high yielding
crops in districts prone to sclerotinia.
More information: www.grdc.com.au/GRDCFS-ManagingSclerotiniaStemRotInCanola

NEW high performance pulse varieties from Seednet
PBA WhartonA­Kaspa Field Pea

This symbol indicates that a variety is protected by Plant Breeders Rights (PBR).
All Seednet varieties are protected by PBR. Unauthorised commercial propagation
or any sale, conditioning, export, import or stocking of propagating material is an
infringement under the PBR Act (1994).

ow lentil yields across the lower Mid
North of South Australia in the low
rainfall years of 2006–2008 prompted a
three year trial to determine if sowing
date and stubble management could
influence yields. The results indicated that
stubble retention can have a positive effect
on lentil yields of up to 13 per cent.
Pulse agronomy researcher Michael
Lines of the South Australian Research
and Development Institute says their trials
demonstrated that sowing lentils into
standing cereal stubble improves yield
stability, regardless of the length of the
season or the amount of effective rainfall.
“The benefit is more pronounced in drier
seasons, suggesting that the benefit lies
mainly in conserving soil moisture,” he says.
In 2010 a trial was established near
Mallala (Mid North, South Australia) to test
if lentil yield would improve if the crop was
sown into the inter-row of standing cereal
stubble. This treatment was compared to
two other stubble management techniques:
1. slashing and retaining stubble and 2.
completely remove stubble by burning or
raking. In addition to the three stubble
management treatments the trials contained
eight lentil varieties planted at three sowing
dates—break of season, two weeks after
the break and four weeks after the break.
“The stubble present in the trial was
30–35 cm standing height and ranged
between 1.8 and 2.2 t/ha dry matter,”

26

says Mr Lines. “The varieties included
BoomerA, NipperA, Nugget, PBA BlitzA,
PBA BountyA and PBA FlashA.”
The seasonal conditions varied across
the three years of the trial, which helped
indicate the conditions under which the
most benefit is achieved from retaining
cereal stubble. The season start in 2010
was considered average, followed by a
wet finish. In 2011 there was a wet start
and an average finish and in 2012 started
normally and finished drier than average.
“When the results were analysed we
found that stubble management had a
positive effect on yield, regardless of the
seasonal conditions,” he says. “In 2010
significant two-way interactions were found
with Sowing date x Stubble management
and Variety x Stubble management. In
2011 and 2012 significant three-way
interactions of Sowing date x Variety x
Stubble management were generated.”
Yield improvements of the Standing
stubble over the Removed stubble treatment
averaged 13 per cent across the three
years. This significant yield response is
thought to be largely due to soil moisture
conservation but also factors related to the
micro-climate within the lentil crop canopy.
“Along with reduced evaporation effects
we also believe that most varieties benefitted
from the protection and support that the
standing stubble provided,” says Mr Lines.
“Protection from the wind means the
lentil plants do not need to put additional
resources into thickening their stems

▶▶ Retained stubble can increase
lentil yield and is unlikely to
cause a decrease in yield.
▶▶ Greater yield advantage from standing
stubble rather than slashed stubble,
especially when lentils are sown later.
▶▶ Sowing lentils into standing stubble
may provide further benefits
to harvestability e.g. increased
biomass, better plant and pod
height and less lodging.
▶▶ Opportunity to investigate
effect of individual processes
(e.g. season, planting date,
stubble and variety) on yield.

to withstand the wind, and there is less
displacement of soil from around the stems,
and potentially less upper root breakage,
when the stems are blown by the wind. The
combination of more resources and less
damage to the stem and roots may boost
the production of flowers and pods.”
The less erect varieties also benefit through
support from the stubble by reducing
lodging and assisting with harvestability (e.g.
raising the pods higher off the ground).
The greatest yield benefit was seen
in PBA Blitz, an erect lentil variety that
is often slow to reach canopy closure.
This trait means there is usually more
soil evaporation in a field of this variety
compared to more prostrate varieties, which
tend to quickly cover over the soil surface.
In contrast, Boomer has a high biomass
and reaches canopy closure rapidly, reducing
evaporation. This variety demonstrated the
least yield response to stubble retention.

TECHNICAL NOTES
Table 1: Summary of grain yield improvement (% of Removed/burnt stubble yield) from Slashed and
Standing stubble treatments compared to the Removed treatment for six varieties and three sowing
dates across three seasons in the Mallala region. Some varieties were not included at all trial sites
and have been omitted from this summary.
Â

Farming system
considerations
Mr Lines says the decision to retain
standing cereal stubble must be taken
after considering possible disadvantages
to the whole farming system.
Standing stubble can interfere with
the proper operation of machinery

PBA Blitz, early, stubble burnt

and may have implications for disease,
weed and pest management. Retaining
stubble will lead to immobilisation of
nitrogen and potentially stratification of
nutrients in the soil profile. If the stubble
interferes with herbicide application and
incorporation there is the potential for
herbicide resistance to develop over time.

PBA Blitz, early, stubble slashed

MORE INFORMATION:
Michael Lines, Research
officer, South Australian
Research & Development
Institute, Clare SA
E: michael.lines@sa.gov.au
T: 08 8842 6264

PBA Blitz, early, stubble retained

The greatest yield benefit was seen in PBA Blitz with standing stubble retained. This erect lentil variety is often slow to reach canopy closure so there is
usually more soil water evaporation compared to more prostrate varieties, which tend to quickly cover over the soil surface.
Photos are from the trial at Pinery, 2012 that experienced an average start to the season and a dry finish.

27

Photo: N SEYMOUR

Pumping a slurry of rhizobia inoculant into the auger to coat the seed before sowing.

Is inoculation of pulses worthwhile?
by Maarten Ryder,
University of Adelaide &
Ross Ballard, SARDI

P

ulses are grown in
crop rotations for
several reasons, including
their potential to fix atmospheric nitrogen
and boost soil fertility. They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do this
job alone and if their symbiotic rhizobial
partner is not present in high enough
number in the plant root zone there will be
reductions to the amount of nitrogen fixed,
and sometimes little to no nitrogen fixed.
The pulse crop may survive if
sufficient soil nitrogen is present
but there will be a net loss of soil-N
rather than the potential net gain.
Across the southern region we estimate
that 75 per cent of pulse crops and 50
per cent of legume pastures are sown
with rhizobium inoculant. Paddock
history and soil type are the key factors
influencing the need for inoculating
pulse crops with rhizobium bacteria.
If a pulse crop has not been grown in
the paddock, then inoculation is always
required. If the pulse crop has previously
been grown, there will be paddocks where

28

inoculation is not required at every sowing,
while others will benefit from toppingâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;up
the number and nitrogen fixation capacity
of the soil rhizobia, using inoculation.
Rhizobia bacteria are able to live free
in the soil without a host for a time but
generally only when soil conditions,
especially pH, are favourable to their
survival. Rhizobia and their host legume
tend to have similar pH tolerance. So for
pulse legumes that dislike strongly acid
soils such as pea and bean, the rhizobia
tend not to survive well in soils with pH
below 6 (CaCl2) or below 6.5 (in water).
Research has shown that pulse crop response
to inoculation is more likely on low pH
soils (except lupins), so inoculation is
generally recommended on these soil types,
Inoculation of acid sensitive pulses should
always be practiced on very acid soils.
Lupins are much more tolerant of low
pH (acidic) soils as are their rhizobia, and
so inoculation is less critical for lupins
on acid soils, so long as they have been
recently been grown in the paddock and
good nodulation has been observed.
In higher pH soils, rhizobia associated
with all pulse crops can survive for several

years without a host plant. Even so, as a rule
of thumb, we suggest using inoculant if it
is four or more years since you have sown
the same pulse in a paddock. For example,
if you plan to sow field peas and it is four or
more years since pea, bean or vetch (which
can all use the same rhizobia) have been
grown in that paddock, then inoculation
of the seed with rhizobia is recommended
to top-up the background rhizobia.
In a national survey of farmers who
grow pulse crops or legume pastures only
1 per cent of respondents indicated that
the cost of inoculant was a factor in their
decision whether to inoculate. The more
common reasons for not using inoculant
were that the benefit of inoculation was
not clear or that the process of applying
inoculant was messy and inconvenient.
The benefits of inoculation can sometimes
be hard to see, but many studies have shown
that improving nodulation is important to
optimising nitrogen fixation. Even if there
is no immediate benefit to the yield of the
pulse crop, often there will be substantial
benefits to the yield and protein levels of
the cereal and oilseed crops that follow.

TECHNICAL NOTES
Pulse crop response to inoculation
Crop

High response

Moderate response

Low response

Chickpea

Chickpea not previously grown

Previous inoculated chickpea crop
more than four years ago, or recent
crop performed below expectation

Well-nodulated chickpea crop in
past two years

Field pea, vetch

Crop not previously grown, or soils
with pH (CaCl2) below 6.0 and high
summer temperatures (over 35°C
for 40 days)

Previous inoculated pea, vetch (or
bean) crop more than four years
ago, or recent pea/vetch crop
nodulated poorly and performed
below expectation

More than four years since growing
inoculated legume host, or recent
crop performed below expectation

In the north and central regions of
WA wheat/sheep belt OR vigorous
lupin/serradella growth and good
nodulation in past four years

Mungbean and
cowpea

No previous mungbean, cowpea or
other related vigna species grown
in paddock

Previous inoculated crop more
than four years ago, or recent crop
performed below expectation

Recent and or intensive mungbean
or cow pea cultivation

Source: Inoculating legumes: The back pocket guide, GRDC, September 2013. Available online at www.grdc.com.au/GRDC-BPG-InoculatingLegumes

Pulse plants without nodules can not fix nitrogen.
This means that if there is a nodulation failure
the pulse crop itself may become deficient in
nitrogen,which is very difficult to remediate. If the
value of the crop is high enough, the addition of
nitrogen fertiliser may be a viable way to produce
some yield from the pulse crop, but there will be
no residual fixed nitrogen for following crops.
If in doubt about the paddock’s history, the use
of inoculant is the most effective, and a much
cheaper option at $5–10 per ha, than any remedial
action and will ensure the maximum residual
N benefit of growing pulses in the rotation.
Eighty per cent of growers use the traditional peat
inoculants, applied in a slurry to the seed. Some growers
are choosing to use granular, freeze-dried and seed
coating products to allow them additional flexibility.
Using traditional peat inoculants and sowing after
breaking rains is still regarded as the best strategy to
ensure good nodulation, especially for crops that are
highly responsive to inoculation, such as chickpea. For
other pulses that have been widely sown, dry sowing
carries less risk. For instance, faba bean and field pea can
be dry sown on alkaline soils in South Australia if there
has been a recent history of these crops in the paddock.
In this situation the risk of nodulation failure is minimal.
MORE INFORMATION: Maarten Ryder, Extension Officer,
National Nitrogen Fixing Program, Adelaide SA
E: maarten.ryder@adelaide.edu.au
T: 08 8313 7988
M: 0409 696 360
Ross Ballard, Senior Scientist, South Australian Research &
Development Institute, Adelaide SA
E: ross.ballard@sa.gov.au
T: 08 8303 9388
Inoculating legumes: a practical guide, GRDC (2012)
Inoculating legumes: the back pocket guide, GRDC (2013)
Rhizobial inoculants: harvesting the benefits of inoculating
legumes, GRDC (2013)
Field pea inoculation trials show the highest response occurs when the crop has not
previously been grown in the paddock, or in soils with pH (CaCl2) below 6.0 and high
summer temperatures (over 35°C for 40 days).

29

Reviving subsoil
fertility
Potassium deficiency in young mungbeans. INSET: Deep placement of fertiliser is a practical option
that does not alter surface cover or produce a cloddy surface.

by Dr Mike Bell,
QAAFI

D

ecisions about
phosphorus (P)
fertiliser use on pulses like
chickpeas and mungbeans
are shrouded in uncertainty, partly because
so little research has been done to determine
the extent of P responses in these species.
A common misconception has been
that these pulses show little response to P
fertiliser, mainly because neither species
has an obligate P requirement in early
growth to set final grain number, unlike
grains such as wheat, barley and sorghum.
However, recent experience suggests both
species do respond to P and, in some
cases, the response is very strong.
Requirements for P mirror crop growth,
with demand greatest when growth rates
are high. Both chickpeas and mungbeans
require some starter P (in low P soils) to
help the crop root system establish and to
grow vigorously as it uses moisture and
nutrients in the subsoil. Deficiency can
occur if there are insufficient nutrients
available deeper in the profile.
Perhaps the greatest response to P and
K in our environments occurs when these
nutrients are either already present or placed
as fertiliser in the subsoil (10–30 cm layer).
These deeper nutrients are well placed to
meet the demands for growth, as they are
in moist soil for longer and are in profile
layers where there are lots of crop roots.
Deeper placement is particularly important
for chickpeas, which are often planted below
the top 10 cm layer, which typically has the
highest immobile nutrient concentrations.
As the coarse taproot system develops, only
P from deeper in the profile can be accessed.
Changes in farming practices over recent
decades have seen the nutrient profile of
agricultural soils alter, particularly for
immobile nutrients like P and K. While

30

subsoil reserves are depleted, topsoil
concentrations can be retained or even
increase due to inputs from crop residue
and surface applied fertiliser. These shallow
nutrient stores are not available to plants
when topsoils are dry, and we no longer
till to redistribute those nutrients into the
subsoil. Therefore, nutrients removed from
subsoils require replacement, and the idea of
deep placement of fertiliser bands has been
investigated at a number of trial sites since
2006–07. While not specifically targeting
pulse crops, chickpeas and mungbeans
have featured in the crop rotations.
In each trial the reference treatments
consisted of normal practice (e.g. starter
fertiliser at the normal farm rate), a nil
treatment (no P or K applied, but with deep
tillage), a starter P treatment and a starter P
treatment with either extra P (or K) applied
deep (15–20 cm) during the preceding
fallow. The nil and starter P treatments
provided benchmarks for the effects of P,
and also the effects of soil disturbance when
compared to the farmer normal practice.
Deep placement of phosphorus, typically
at a rate of 40 kg P/ha, was applied as
TSP or MAP at depths of 15–20 cm (with
extra N applied to compensate for the N
in MAP), with bands 50–100 cm apart.
Deep placement of potassium was also in
bands and at the same depth and spacings,
using a typical application rate of 100
kg K/ha applied as muriate of potash. In
sites where both P and K were low, trials
looked at adding each nutrient alone or as a
combination of P and K to simultaneously
overcome both constraints. Rates were
deliberately high to ensure residual effects
could be followed in subsequent crop years.
While the number of pulse trials
is small, especially from 2013 winter
due to a combination of both dry
conditions and frost, there have been
some consistent trends emerging.

▶▶ Chickpeas seem to be fairly consistently
responding to P placed deep in the
soil profile. Responses were significant
in three of the four trial sites, with
a trend for an increase in the fourth
site. Some of the higher yielding crops
accumulated 20–30 kg P/ha in the crop
biomass, with up to 40% of that coming
from the applied P. Yield responses
typically averaged an increase of 20%.
▶▶ Mungbeans crops also demonstrated
a trend for benefits from deep P at all
sites. However, while relative benefits
ranged from 10% to an impressive 60%
yield increase, depending on soil P
status, the benefits were only statistically
significant in one of the three trials. There
also seemed to be greater responses to
starter P than in chickpeas, although
more work is needed to confirm this.
▶▶ At a number of sites there were
interactions between P and K (see the
case studies below). At the Capella
site the primary limitation was P
(generating a 20% yield increase),
with a trend for a small additive effect
of K. However at Gindie the primary
limitation was K (generating a 27%
yield increase), with a strong additive
effect of P after the K demand was met,
making a total of 51% yield increase.
▶▶ Similar P and K effects were seen in a
mungbean trial near Warwick, but while
both P and K effects were significant
there was no evidence of additivity.
This can occur where the better root
development that occurs when P
deficiency is corrected allows the crop
to then scavenge more effectively for K.
This is the equivalent to squeezing a little
more blood from the stone, as it does
nothing to replenish soil K reserves!
The implications of these findings from a
farming systems perspective are significant.
Many farmers are concerned over the
suggested return to deep tillage—even if

TECHNICAL NOTES
Deeper soil tests needed
Minimum tillage and long-term export of nutrients have
resulted in depletion of P, K and sulphur (S) reserves at depth
across the northern region. Research to date suggests that
analysis of the 10–30 cm soil layer, along with the traditional
top 10 cm layer, is critical for assessing P and K status of
soils. Sulfur is more mobile in the soil and so testing as deep
as 60 cm is needed to assess the status of this nutrient.
There is currently no information on the critical soil
concentrations of these nutrients in the subsoil for any crop.
Research is underway to fill these gaps in our knowledge
through trials across the region, from the Central Highlands
in Queensland through to the southern Liverpool Plains in
New South Wales, with additional sites in the western areas
of southern Queensland and central and northern NSW.
The focus of this research is to determine the critical soil
concentrations required for yield responses in sorghum,
wheat, mungbean and chickpea to applied P, K and S.

Case studies—CQ fertiliser
deep placement trials
Two trials were conducted on sites near
Capella and Gindie in Central Queensland,
with support from the International Plant
Nutrition Institute (IPNI) and Canpotex.
Soil tests indicated that the soils at both
sites were depleted in P, K and S.
In winter 2011, treatments of these
nutrients, alone and in combination, were
banded 50 cm apart at depth during a
fallow at both sites. Crops of chickpea
(2012) followed by wheat (2013) at
Capella and sorghum (2011–12) followed
by chickpea (2013) at Gindie have so far
been monitored for yield responses.
At Capella, deep placement of P gave rise
to a 20% increase in yield above the control
(deep tillage only), an additional 500 kg/
ha of grain. Along with this main response

Chickpea at Capella 2012 (first crop after treatments)
3100 –
2900 –

Chickpea at Gindie 2013 (second crop after treatments)

2700 –

2000 –

2500 –

–

there was also a slight trend for an additional
benefit of K once P adequate, such that the
combined effects of deep tillage and (P +
K) fertiliser yielded 900 kg grain/ha more
than the farmer reference. Effects in the
following wheat crop were limited by a lack
of water (there was no in-crop rain in 2013)
that restricted the development of secondary
roots and tillers (a key part of wheat P
responses), but trends for higher yields with
P and K (13% increase) were still evident.
The additional crop production (2012
chickpea @$550/t and 2013 wheat at $275)
was calculated to be worth $310/ha for
P only, or $380/ha for P+K. Compared
to commercial practice (no deep tillage)
in 2012, the combined effects of deep
tillage and P lifted the combined benefit
to $600/ha after two crop seasons.
At Gindie the sorghum crop only
responded to P (again a 20% yield increase),
but the chickpea crop responded to the

Gindi
Capella

Depth
(cm)

pH

Colwell BSES P SO4-S Exch K
P

CEC

DTPA
Zn

Org C%

0–10

7.2

13

10

3

0.17

35.3

0.2

0.6

10–30

7.8

<5

5

2

0.07

38.4

0.1

0.5

0–10

8.1

10

14

3

0.46

73.7

0.25

0.7

10–30

8.3

<5

9

2

0.16

74.6

0.1

0.65

PKS

PS

PK

P

PKS

PS

PK

P

KS

500 –

S

1500 –

K

–

Control

1700 –

Soil test data from case study sites
Site

1000 –

KS

1900 –

–

S

2100 –

1500 –

K

2300 –

Control

Grain yield (kg/ha)

Grain yield (kg/ha)

only at infrequent intervals. However, the
management of immobile nutrients may
require the use of such tillage if we are to
replenish nutrients exported from farms
across the region. The recommended
frequency of this management strategy
will be considered as the research
project continues to collect data about
the residual effect of fertiliser placed
at depth. Early results indicate that the
benefits of deep placement of fertiliser
may be reasonably long-lasting and so the
frequency required may be tied more to
the application rate than any other factor.

residual of the applications of both P
and K, and there was a strong additive
effect of the two fertilisers that delivered
a 51% yield increase. The primary
limitation in this season seemed to be
K (27% response), and only once K was
supplied could the additional response
to P be observed. These yield increases
represented additional grain production
of 340 kg/ha and 530 kg/ha respectively,
with the combined value of additional crop
production (assessed as 2012 sorghum
@$200/t; 2013 chickpea at $375) worth
$160/ha for P only, or $320/ha for P+K.
Interestingly, the dry seasonal conditions
in 2013 seemed to enhance the response to
residual deep P and K in chickpea (where
development of secondary roots and tillers
is not a key driver of extra yield) at Gindie,
versus the opposite effect in wheat at Capella.
The question remains about how
long the residual benefit of deep
placement of fertiliser will continue.
MORE INFORMATION: Mike Bell, Principal
research fellow, Queensland Alliance for
Agriculture & Food Innovation, Kingaroy Qld
E: mike.bell@uq.edu.au
T: 07 4160 0700
M: 0429 600 730

n 2013 we saw what
can happen when a
market turns upside
down. After high prices
in 2012 chickpeas looked
like a good option for growers and many
responded with increased planting for the
2013 season. The season that followed was
good across most desi growing areas but
whilst it was a bumper crop, prices did not
live up to expectations as India, Pakistan
and northern Africa also experienced good
growing seasons and production levels.
Australia shipped large volumes early and
the price fell as local Indian and Pakistani
crops arrived on the market. Defaults in
India and Bangladesh and a devaluation
of the Indian rupee against the US and
Australian dollar caused further instability.
Having been out of the desi market since
the end of 2012, Pakistan returned with a big
crop, putting downward pressure on prices.
Adding to the mix, Bangladesh buyers had
previously over-imported by about 30 per
cent and so demand in late 2013 was lower.
The recent lifting of the Indian pulse
export bans are a new dynamic that
the wider market is trying to digest.
The main question is, how much of
the Indian crop will now force its way
into various destinations and how will
this disrupt current supply chains?
The final piece to the price puzzle was
the entry of Ethiopia and Tanzania into
the desi market on the sub-continent.
The result was six to nine months of
lower prices which is expected to remain
until at least Februaryâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;March 2014.
The rabi crop is now planted on an
estimated 11 million ha across India. The
size of the rabi (northern hemisphere
winter sowing, spring harvest cropping

period) pulse crop remains the single
most important market indicator for
Australian desi chickpeas during 2014.
The outlook in February and March gives
an indication of production conditions
and likely harvest outcomes. By May the
information available is fairly concrete
and gives Australian growers an indication
of which way prices are likely to go.

Pulse market outlook
Faba beans have high yield potential and
Australia has a strong niche market into the
Middle East (see article on page 34). The
combination of excellent varieties, proven
management packages along with market
access has made faba beans a good option
for growers and seen plantings expand
into previously unknown territory such
as the Darling Downs in Queensland.
Our success has attracted interest in the
Egyptian market from other countries,
especially the United Kingdom and
France. Sowings in these two countries
will indicate if pressure is likely to be put
on the Middle East market, particularly
given that the European harvest will
come in before the Australian crop.
Field peas are particularly sensitive
to price comparisons with wheat. At the

Lupin Industry Plan
Pulse Australia and the Australian Export
Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) have
initiated a review of the lupin industry to
identify opportunities for development
and expansion into new markets,
including new export market access
applications, livestock feed valueadding and innovative food products.
Representatives from AEGIC, GIWA,
DAFWA and GRDC joined Pulse Australia
CEO, Tim Edgecombe and Industry
development manager (western), Alan
Meldrum to discuss whether the export
lupin industry needed assistance and

moment the price of paid for peas ($320
to $330 per tonne) makes them on par
or better than wheat at $240 to $250 per
tonne, taking in the 20 per cent difference
in grain yield. Domestic demand for field
peas as stockfeed provides peas with a solid
demand mix and therefore price stability.
On the export front, Canada is the
main competitor for field pea and lentil
markets so watching their planting trends
can help make crop choices here.

Gross margin battle:
pulses v wheat
Wheat remains the main competitor for
cropping land in Australia. When wheat
prices are strong, the area sown to pulse
crops usually drops. Many wheat growers
are convinced of the many benefits that
pulses bring to their production system,
cash flow and farm business profitability.
Farmers can see the dollar value
of improved soil fertility, better soil
moisture retention, disease control and
more chemical weed control options.
MORE INFORMATION: Peter Wilson, Chairman,
Pulse Australia and Chief executive officer,
Australia Milling Group
E: pwilson@aumg.com.au
T: 07 4630 6139
M: 0417 541 174

if so, what pre-competitive activities
could be undertaken to develop market
opportunities for the industry.
A wide ranging discussion of production
and price, plant breeding, markets
and marketing, market access and
food safety, research and innovation
and opportunities for lupin food
development concluded with a decision
to go ahead with a further investigation
of the opportunities for the industry.
GIWA and Pulse Australia will establish
a Lupin Industry Steering Committee
charged with initiating the development
of a Lupin Industry Plan in 2014.

33

MARKETING PULSES

Faba beans, to Cairo
from Down Under
Egypt’s hunger for Australian faba beans has helped the niche market grain
become one of the country’s fastest growing pulse exports.
by Charlie Higgins

I

f you ever find yourself wandering
the streets of Cairo, don’t be offended
by the countless street vendors yelling
“foooooooool!” They’re selling Egypt’s most
popular breakfast food, ful medames, a
dish of mashed faba beans flavored
with garlic, lemon, and cumin typically
served with eggs and pita bread.
Faba beans, or ful, are a staple of Egyptian
cuisine and have been cultivated in the
region since ancient times. Ful medames is
the most popular way of eating faba beans,
but there are literally thousands of recipes
and variations used by Egyptians across all
social and economic classes. Faba beans are
to Egypt what black beans are to Brazil.
With a population of 84.3 million
and growing about 2% annually, Egypt
has a lot of mouths to feed. Though
faba beans are produced domestically,
the country must import large volumes
to meet the growing demand for its
second most important staple food.
For Australia’s pulse industry, Egypt’s
faba bean fever has created a lucrative

34

opportunity with demand that continues
to grow. Between November 2012 and
February 2013, Australia exported 153,988
metric tons of fabas to Egypt, representing
nearly 70% of its entire export volume.
Though the country lost some of its
market share to France and the UK after
a national drought in 2002, Australian
growers continue to innovate and improve
the quality and reliability of their fabas.

The dawn of Australian faba
Faba and broad beans (a larger faba variety
with lower production) first became
significant pulse crops in Australia during
the mid 1980s and reached their heyday a
decade later. Between the 1920s and 1970s,
growers had experimented with a few Tic
or “horse” beans using poorly adapted
European varieties, but the results were
mediocre at best. The first Australian and
well-adapted faba bean variety, Fiord, was
released in 1980, sparking interest in the
national pulse-growing community.
Since then, faba bean production has
grown steadily in Australia. Individual states
have experienced ups and downs due to

disease control and climate issues, but most
have increased their production consistently
since 1995. Australia saw peak production
levels in 2000, with national acreage reaching
206,000 hectares. However, major drought
between 2006 and 2008 left a significant
impact that allowed France and the UK to
obtain greater shares of the Egyptian market.
Despite setbacks, Australia’s faba bean
industry remains strong and is now
seeing renewed interest thanks to higher
prices and solid average yields. Fabas
are well suited to a range of soil types
and climates, and are currently grown in
parts of Western and Southern Australia,
Victoria and New South Wales.
“In all Australian States, beans have
historically been considered too difficult
to grow because of disease problems. With
variable yields and returns, even total
crop losses, they had earned a reputation
as ‘fraud’ or ‘failure’ beans,” says Wayne
Hawthorne, Industry Development
Manager for Pulse Australia.
“Now, 30 odd years after the first major
crop losses, faba beans are considered a
valuable and profitable pulse crop that

MARKETING PULSES
suits broad acre cropping rotations.
With new variety releases, a better
understanding of how to manage diseases,
better agronomic advice and improved
marketing and infrastructure, there is
considerable confidence in growing
faba and broad beans, and production
is set to expand even further.”

Meeting Egypt’s demand
Egypt imports approximately 48% of all the
faba and broad beans traded internationally.
The top four importing countries—Egypt,
Italy, Sudan and Spain—comprise 74% of the
entire import market for fabas. Australia has
remained competitive in this industry and
currently exports about 70% of its fabas to
Egypt. Hawthorne says several factors have
enabled this lucrative trading relationship.
“The release of the new faba bean
variety Fiesta VF in 1998 assisted the
Australian faba bean industry greatly as
this was a preferred faba bean product in
the Egyptian markets because of its larger,
more uniform grain size and light color.”
“The harmonization of product
specifications negotiated by Pulse Australia
and the Egyptian Government were ratified
in April 2002, and this greatly facilitated
trade in beans and lentils between the
two countries. Australian national export
standards for faba and broad beans were
set based on this harmonization and
receival standards set to achieve those
exportable grades,” Hawthorne said.
Competition with France and the UK
remains a key challenge for Australia’s
faba bean industry, though Hawthorne
says the country has a few advantages that
make up for its susceptibility to drought.
“Recent faba bean varieties released in
UK and France are targeting the Egyptian
market for quality and size in the same way
as Australian breeders do. Australia has the
advantage of clean and dry beans at harvest
and the absence of bruchids, a pest of
European beans and a major quality issue in
the Egyptian market,” Hawthorne explained.

Australian beans to be exported directly
to China,” Hawthorne explained.
“China produces 41% of the world’s faba
and broad bean, but consumes much of
its production. China was a major export
competitor to Australia during the 1990s,
and still rates fourth in world export
tonnages now. The price and quality of their
product has influenced Australian export
tonnages and prices,” said Hawthorne.
On the production side, northern
Australia is seeing a lot of growth with
the release of new varieties of marketable
quality. Technological advancements in
southern Australia have also helped growers
better understand the nuances of growing
faba beans on more acidic soils. These

factors, combined with increasing market
demand, should bode well for the industry.
“Market expansion into a wider range
of countries will also assist in the further
production of faba beans in Australia.
There will remain many factors that
will affect the production levels in the
future including demand from new and
emerging markets, comparative pricing
from alternative crops and the continued
development of new varieties and
agronomic practices,” Hawthorne said.
Article originally published in ‘International
Food Trader’, 19 June 2013. Reproduced with
the kind permission of the publisher. https://
www.goift.com/news/130619-pulse-featurefaba-beans-to-cairo-from-the-land-down-undercharlie-higgins/

The future of faba
With new varieties being introduced,
improved farming techniques, better disease
control and the expansion of emerging
markets, Australia’s faba bean industry
is set to grow in the coming years. One
of these new markets is China, which
Hawthorne says is expected to become a
net importer of faba and broad beans.
“Importation of faba and broad beans
into China from Australia is currently
restricted by trade regulations in China.
This situation is expected to eventually
be overcome, opening the way for

Interest in faba beans is increasing with growers in non-traditional locations, such as southern
Queensland, trialling the crop. Condamine grower Brett Bidstrup was pleased with the performance
of his first crop of Warda faba beans, grown in 2013.

35

CONSUMING PULSES

Stockfeed to
SUPERfood

Changing consumer’s
perceptions of lupins.
by Cindy Benjamin

A

ustralia produces around 85 per cent
of the world’s lupins, most of which
are used for stockfeed, but there is now
compelling evidence that incorporating
lupin flour into human diets can have
direct health benefits for individuals.
A team of researchers from the
School of Medicine at the University
of Western Australia, led by Professors
Jonathan Hodgson, Trevor Mori and
Ian Puddey, ran a study involving 131
overweight but otherwise healthy people
to determine if a lupin-enriched diet
would have a positive effect on key health
risk factors. Dr Regina Belski, currently
a researcher and senior lecturer at La
Trobe University coordinated the study.
“In the study, half the participants were
given bread, biscuits and pasta incorporating
lupin-enriched flour while the rest of
the group had these same foods made
using wholemeal flour,” said Dr Belski.
The aims of the research were to
determine if eating lupin flour-enriched
foods would assist in weight loss and
hence improve cardiovascular health.
“At the end of 12 months the results
indicated that lupin flour did not
significantly affect weight loss, as both
groups lost a similar amount of weight,” she
said. “However, despite similar weight loss
in both groups, the group eating lupin flour
foods had significantly larger improvements
in a number of key risk factors associated
with cardiovascular disease and diabetes.”

36

Cardiovascular disease, or heart disease,
remains the number 1 cause of death in
Australia, and high blood pressure is a major
risk factor. Eating products made with
40% lupin flour substituted for wholemeal
flour significantly lowered blood pressure
and so reduced the risk of heart disease.
High fasting insulin concentrations
and insulin resistance are precursors to
diabetes and both appeared to be reduced
when an individual’s diet included lupins.
Diabetes is Australia’s largest and fastest
growing chronic disease. If the addition
of lupin flour to baked products can stem
the tide of this disease many lives will be
improved and the large cost of treating and
managing the disease can be reduced.
“To have the risk factors associated
with these diseases reduced even without
a significant difference in weight loss was
a very promising finding,” Dr Belski said.
“It also seems that the greatest benefits
will be observed in high-risk individuals
who are likely to see a significant
lowering of their key risk factors.”
Lupin kernel flour from Australian
sweet lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) has a
unique macronutrient composition of 45
per cent protein, 30 per cent dietary fibre,
negligible available carbohydrate, virtually
no starch and is gluten free. Incorporating
lupin flour into baked foods can increase
protein and fibre, which are linked to
increased satiety, while also reducing the
refined carbohydrate content of the food.
Lupin flour was approved for human
consumption in Australia in 1987 and in
Europe in 1999 however very little product

development has been done. Less than four
per cent of the world’s lupin production is
consumed as a human food however this
equates to around half a million tonnes
of foods containing lupin ingredients
being consumed each year in Europe.
There are immediate opportunities
for the development of a range of
lupin products that could be direct
substitutes for existing mainstream
products and could simultaneously
improve the health of Australians.
Dr Belski suggests that products such
as low carb muffins and bars, dips, lupin
baked beans and tinned beans, bread,
pasta, lupin milk and direct substitution
in baked products could increase our
food’s protein and fibre content while
lowering the food’s glycaemic index (GI).
Some niche market opportunities
include gluten free products for individuals
with coeliac disease, protein bars and
shakes for sports people and to produce
popular Asian foods such as tempe and
miso, usually made with soybeans.
“Whilst the idea that simply changing
the toast we eat in the morning may
improve our heart health is an attractive
one, more research is needed in the area
to determine the true benefits of lupin
for high risk groups,” said Dr Belski.
MORE INFORMATION:
Dr Regina Belski,
Researcher and Senior
Lecturer, Department
of Dietetics and Human
Nutrition, La Trobe
University, Vic
E: r.belski@latrobe.edu.au
T: 03 3 9479 3629

CONSUMING PULSES

non-starch polysaccharide (fibre)
starch
lipid
protein
Source:

www.lupins.org

Lupin processors in Australia

Source: www.lupins.org

Value-adding to lupins

I

Recipe and Image courtesy of Lupin Foods Australia

n recognising the value of lupins as a
tasty, nutritious and versatile food, Lupin
Foods Australia has adopted a simple
strategy—develop a set of outstanding
lupin foods for breakfast, lunch, dinner
and even high-end cocktail party menus.
Making functional foods that are easily
incorporated into the mainstream diet is
the inspiration for the company’s new lupin
mill. Lupin food ingredients must be easy to
use so even the most amateur of cooks can
prepare a wholesome meal in 15 minutes,
within the family’s food budget. With
applications in the kitchen from falafels to
brownies there is a place in every pantry and
many cookbooks for lupin food ingredients
such as flour, kibble, flake, splits and hulls.
The company’s new mill is small in
capacity at the moment but there is plenty of
room for expansion as lupins find their way
into mainstream use. The current mill can
process up to 145 thousand tonnes of whole
lupin annually to produce 100 thousand
tonnes of split lupins and flake, 35 thousand
tonnes of lupin hull, 3 thousand tonnes of
flour and 7 thousand tonnes of kibble. Each
of these products have uses in health foods.
The next step in developing the market
for lupin food products is to establish a
‘lupin food standard’ so lupins can move
from being seen only as a commodity to
being sought after as a high value food,
worthy of global demand. Some elements
of this standard would include quality
assurance on farm, variety specifications,
cleaning pre-delivery and the like. Such
a standard will underpin the consumer’s
confidence in lupins and lupin ingredients
as high quality and valuable products.

Lupin Foods Australia plans to
grow this market with the support of
committed growers. Their aim is to achieve
price stability in the short-term and a
gradual increase in prices as demand
for these unique products expands.
Interested growers can investigate the
Lupin Foods Australia website then contact
the company to express their interest
in supplying lupins grown to superior
standards as expected for a culinary product.
MORE INFORMATION: Lupin Foods Australia
E: enquiries@lupinfoods.com.au
T: 08 9416 1401 W: www.lupinfoods.com.au

Foods Australia

There are three lupin processors in
Australia, all based in WA where almost
all our lupins are grown. These companies
produce a range of value-added
products and ingredients such as lupin
kernel flour, kernel ‘splits’, bran, seed
for ‘sprouting’ and lupin meal for use
in foods for human consumption. Their
products are available to the domestic
and international food manufacturers,
bakeries, retailers and consumers.
▶▶ Irwin Valley Pty Ltd was originally
established in 2002 as a ‘commercial
arm’ to one of Australia’s leading grower
groups, the Mingenew-Irwin Group. T: 08
9319 9214 E: info@irwinvalley.com.au
▶▶ Coorow Seeds was established in
1995 by growers and business
entities in the Midwest region of
Western Australia. T: 08 9952 1088
E: admin@coorowseeds.com.au
▶▶ Founded in 2012, Lupin Foods Australia is
a wholly owned subsidiary of Co-operative
Bulk Handling Limited (‘CBH Group’),
an organisation owned by the grain
growers of Western Australia. T: 08 9416
1401 E: enquiries@lupinfoods.com.au

Pulse crop training workshops
held in all growing regions
give agronomists and growers
extra confidence with pulse
crop production. The 2014
courses will focus on lentil, faba
bean, chickpea and mungbean
production and marketing.
Pulses are not difficult to produce,
but they are distinctly different to
cereals, oilseed and cotton crops
so it is important for first time or
inexperienced growers to get advice.
Strong international interest in pulses,
combined with increased grower
confidence in varieties and growing
practices, has led to a steady increase in
plantings of several pulses over the last
three to five years across most of Australia
The best management practice courses
cover the A-to-Z of pulse production and
offer participants the opportunity to engage
in open conversation with a range of

specialists, including growers, discussing
different management practices suited to
different areas. A comprehensive manual
is available only to workshop participants
and provides a source of on-going support
and information as the season progresses.
The courses provide the science and
reasoning behind the recommended
management practice and an
update on the latest research and
advancements in the pulse industry.
Growers are encouraged to choose Pulse
Australia-accredited agronomists to provide
planning and in-crop advice on pulses.

The courses are conducted in conjunction
with leading pulse researchers from
GRDC-funded projects in the respective
government departments of each state.
Lentil, faba bean, chickpea and
mungbean will feature in the 2014
Broadleaf Crop BMP training program
funded by GRDC. Growers and advisors
wanting to reserve a place at these
workshops can contact their Pulse Australia
industry development manager or send
an email to subscription@pulseaus.
com.au to express their interest.

BMP COURSE DATES (dates and locations are subject to change)
South Australia
Kadina